Eight people were killed after an SUV plunged into a gorge in Maharashtra's Raigad district early on Monday, according to an NDTV Marathi report. The accident took place around 2.45 am in the Ambenali Ghat section between Mahabaleshwar and Poladpur, near the Raigad-Satara district border.
The SUV was travelling through Ambenali Ghat when the driver allegedly lost control at a sharp turn, causing the vehicle to fall into a gorge estimated to be 500 to 700 feet deep.
According to preliminary information, all eight occupants of the vehicle died in the accident. The victims hailed from Satara and were on their way from Dapoli to Satara when the vehicle fell into the gorge, PTI reported.
The deceased have been identified as Mahesh Anil Pawar, 25; Aditya Ashok Salunkhe, 21; Ritesh Rajendra Lokhande, 25; Suhas Jitendra Lokhande, 20; Ansh Sameer Chavan, 18; Utkarsh Anand Shingte, 21; Anil Abhimanyu Shingte, 25; and Nitin Kisan Naikonde, 35.
After being alerted about the accident, Poladpur police and local rescue teams rushed to the spot. Rescue operations have been hampered by the depth of the gorge and the difficult terrain. So far, rescue teams have recovered two bodies from the valley. A search operation is underway to recover the remaining bodies and locate the wreckage of the Scorpio.
Teams from the Mahabaleshwar Rescue Team, Pratapgad Team, Seascape Mahad-Poladpur, Aapda Mitra and local rescue groups are involved in the operation.
It should be noted that the crash occurred in the same area where a bus from Dapoli's Konkan Agricultural University met with a major accident in 2018.
ALSO READ: Himachal Pradesh Bus Accident: 9 Killed, Around 40 Injured After Vehicle Plunges Into 500-Feet Gorge
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