LONAVLA/PUNE: In a major accident, five persons were killed and 40 others sustained injuries after a private bus fell into a roadside trench near Khopoli on the old Pune-Mumbai highway in the early hours of Monday.
According to Raigad district police, the incident took place around 4.30 am. The Mumbai-bound bus had left with passengers from Karad in Satara district late on Sunday night.
The accident spot is at a turn near Dasturi Garmal village between Khopoli and Khandala.
Police Inspector Dhanaji Kshirsagar of Khopoli police station said that the bus was speeding and the driver lost control over the wheel veering the bus into a 30 feet deep trench.
“The injured persons are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Nigdi, Somatane, Pavana and one in Raigad. Four persons died on the spot, while one person succumbed to injuries later,” he added.
The police have identified the deceased as Sarvadnya Sachin Thorat (3) from Karad, Sneha Janardan Patil (15) and her father Janardan Patil (42) from Mumbai, Sanjay Rakshe (50) from Mumbai and Pramila Mohite (50).
An FIR will be registered against the driver, who has also sustained injuries, for rash and negligent driving, the police said.
