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Maharashtra: 4 killed, 2 missing as SUV plunges 500 feet into Tamhini Ghat valley
A Mahindra Thar the group were travelling in lost control, plunged into a deep valley in Tamhini Ghat on the Pune–Raigad border in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday
Pune: Four people were killed and two remain missing after a Mahindra Thar they were travelling in lost control and plunged nearly 500 feet into a deep valley in Tamhini Ghat on the Pune–Raigad border in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, police said, adding that a rescue operation is underway.
Mangaon police inspector Nivrutti Borade said that the six friends — Shahaji Chavan (22), Punit Sudharak Shetty (20), Sahil Sadhu Bote (24), Mahadev Koli (18), Omkar Sunil Koli (18) and Shiva Arun Mane (19) — all residents of Kopre village in Pune, were travelling in the SUV when the accident occurred.
“Bodies of four have been recovered so far, while the search for the remaining two is underway. The rescue teams are trying to reach the vehicle to look for the remaining two,” Borade said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the SUV veered off a sharp curve and fell almost 500 feet down the valley. “We are examining possibilities of overspeeding, mechanical failure, limited visibility and slippery road conditions. Tamhini Ghat is known for its hazardous curves, especially during and after rainfall. Rescue operations are still in progress as teams navigate difficult terrain to retrieve the remaining two missing youths and pull the vehicle out of the ravine,” Borade said.
The group had left on November 17 for a trip to Konkan in a Mahindra Thar, after which communication with their families stopped suddenly. Their family members approached the Uttam Nagar Police Station on November 19 when they did not return home.
A missing persons report was filed, following which police launched a search operation on Thursday morning.
“CCTV footage and mobile location tracking were used to trace the route the group might have taken, eventually narrowing the search to a dangerous section of Tamhini Ghat,” an officer said.
The rescue team deployed drones to scan the dense, rocky terrain, eventually locating the mangled SUV and the bodies strewn inside the gorge.
“A drone flight over a dangerously sharp curve in the ghat spotted the wrecked SUV deep inside the gorge. The bodies were also detected nearby. The group had taken the Thar belonging to their friend, Sahil Bote, when the mishap occurred,” senior police inspector of the Uttam Nagar Police Station Rohan Khandare said.
