8 Youths Killed in Horrific Ambenali Ghat Crash
The Ambenali Ghat stretch has witnessed several fatal accidents in the past.
Mumbai: In a tragic accident, eight youths were killed on Monday after an SUV plunged into a deep gorge in Maharashtra’s Ambenali Ghat section on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar route in Raigad district.
According to preliminary information, the deceased youths were residents of Asgaon in Satara district and had gone on a trip to Dapoli. The victims left from Harne in Dapoli at around 2 am on Sunday in the SUV and the accident occurred when the vehicle reportedly lost control at a sharp turn in Ambenali Ghat, one of the most dangerous stretches in the Western Ghats and fell into a gorge, which is estimated to be nearly 1,000 feet deep. The vehicle was found in the gorge on Monday morning, a senior police official said.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene after receiving information about the crash. However, the visual access to the vehicle remained limited for several hours due to the depth of the gorge and poor visibility in the area. Rescuers had to navigate dense forest patches, rocky slopes and dangerous terrain to reach the wreckage. While searching in the Ambenali Ghat section, the police spotted the SUV about 800 feet deep in the gorge on Monday morning, said the police.
Eight bodies were spotted in the gorge and were being retrieved. All eight occupants of the vehicle might have died on the spot, police said.
“So far, two bodies have been recovered, while efforts are underway to retrieve another body through the upper route. The remaining five bodies are expected to be brought out through the base of the valley,” said Anchal Dala, superintendent of police, Raigad.
The exact cause of the crash is yet to be officially confirmed, though police suspect high speed may have played a role in the accident.
Expressing grief on the mishap, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on X, “I pay my heartfelt tribute to them. We share in the grief of their families. These 8 friends were on a trip when their vehicle plunged 1500 feet into a valley. As a result, the bodies are scattered at different locations. The district administration has promptly initiated relief and rescue operations, forming 5 teams each comprising 7 personnel. Efforts to retrieve the bodies have been undertaken at a war footing, and so far, 3 bodies have been recovered. The remaining bodies will be retrieved soon. Assistance from NDRF is also being availed.”
The deceased have been identified as Ritesh Lokhande (22), Suhas Lokhande (20), Utkarsh Shingte (21), Nikhil Shingte (25), Mahesh Pawar (25), Aditya Salunkhe (21), Rajesh Katkar (35), all the residents of Satara, and Ansh Chavan (19), belonging to Ratnagiri.
The Ambenali Ghat stretch has witnessed several fatal accidents in the past. The crash occurred in the same area where a bus from Dapoli’s Konkan Agricultural University met with a major accident in 2018 killing 30 people.
