5 killed, 40 hurt in bus mishap on old Mumbai-Pune highway

At least five people, including women and a child, were killed and more than 40 seriously injured in a bus accident on Monday. The accident occurred when a luxury private bus, carrying Mumbai-based picnickers, overturned near Khandala ghat along the old Mumbai-Pune highway early on Monday.

The incident occurred around 4.30 am, when the bus-- MH04 FK 1599 -- reached Anda Point in Bhor Ghat; it was proceeding from Karad in Satara to Mumbai. The bus had 51 people on board, including the driver and two helpers.

The police said while negotiating a sharp turn at Bhor Ghat, the bus skid and plunged into the valley. The impact of the accident was such that the front of the bus was reduced to a mangled heap and the rear wheels detached from the axle.

Five people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed in the accident. The deceased have been identified as Pramila Mohite, 50, a resident of Belavale in Kolhapur district, Sneha Patil, 15, and her father, Janardhan Patil, 50, both residents of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Sanjay Rakshe, 50, a resident of Powai, and Sarvadnya Thorat, 3, a resident of Karad in Satara.

The injured were rushed to the M.G.M. Hospital near Kamothe, Pawana Hospital near Somatane Phata and the Lokmanya Hospital in Nigdi. Fourteen people have sustained serious injuries.

The Khopoli Police have booked the bus driver under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for rash driving and causing death due to negligence.

The driver, too, has sustained injuries and is recuperating in the hospital.

The police said while negotiating a sharp turn at Bhor Ghat, the bus went off the road and plunged into the valley.