FIVE KILLED IN BUS ACCIDENT

MUMBAI/ALIBAG: Five people, including a 3-yearold boy and a father-daughter duo, were killed and 40 injured when a bus fell into a valley on the old Mumbai-pune highway in Maharashtra early Monday morning, police said.

The mishap took place near the Amrutanjan bridge in Dasturi in Khandala ghat at around 5 am, said senior Inspector Dhanaji Kshirsagar of Khopoli police station, adding that the bus fell into a valley 30-40 feet deep. The private bus, carrying 47 passengers, was moving from Karad in Satara district to Mumbai and the accident was possibly due to the driver losing control while navigating the ghat stretch, said the official.

"Five people were killed and 40, including the driver, received injuries. They were returning from Karad post

Diwali vacations," he said

Police identified the deceased as Sarvadnya Sachin Thorat (3) from Karad, Sneha Janardhan Patil (15) and her father Janardhan Ramchandra Patil (42) from Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Sanjay Shivaji Rakshe (50) from Powai and Pramila Ramchandra Mohite (50) from Karad.

The injured have been admitted in Nagarpalika Hospital in Khopoli, Lokmanya Hospital in Pune, Pavana Hospital in Talegav and MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

A case of causing death by negligence, rash driving and other offences was registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act on a complaint by Karadresident Sachin Thorat, who lost his son Sarvadnya in the accident, the official said.