At least seven people lost their lives, and 15 others sustained serious injuries when a luxury bus plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge on the Nashik-Gujarat Highway in Maharashtra early Sunday morning.
The bus, carrying around 48 passengers, primarily pilgrims traveling from Nashik to Gujarat, met with the tragic accident near Saputara Ghat around 4 AM. The impact of the fall was so intense that the vehicle broke into two pieces.
According to the authorities, preliminary investigations point to driver negligence as the likely cause of the crash. “The bus fell into a 130-foot-deep gorge due to suspected negligence, approx 2.5 kilometers from Saputara,” stated Dang DSP Patil.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene, evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals for urgent medical care. All the victims, including the deceased, were reported to be residents of Madhya Pradesh.
Officials are currently probing the exact circumstances surrounding the incident while ensuring the completion of rescue operations.