One killed, 72 hurt as MSRTC bus plunges into valley

PUNE, MAY 3: A woman was killed and 72 others, including 20 women and seven children, were seriously injured when a Maharashtra State Reg...

PUNE, MAY 3: A woman was killed and 72 others, including 20 women and seven children, were seriously injured when a Maharashtra State Regional Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus plunged into a 80-ft valley at Supa Ghat near Yevat, about 50 km from here, on Sunday morning.

The woman’s identity could not be ascertained till late at night. The injured were admitted to various hospitals in Pune, Baramati, Daund, Supa, Yavat and Kedgaon, Pune rural police said. At least 12 of the injured are said to be critical.

The bus was heading towards Shirur from Baramati when the mishap took place. It fell into the valley after its driver lost his control while trying to avoid a collision with a scooter at a sharp turn in the ghat. The number of passengers aboard the bus was higher than on any other day as it happened to be a holiday. Most passengers were headed for a wedding.

Almost all the passengers suffered multiple injuries as they were tossed while the bus rolled down the steep slope. The drivers and passengers of the vehicles plying on the road rushed to their rescue. However, they found it difficult to carry the injured on the steep slope.

Rescue work gathered momentum only after some social workers from the nearby Yevat and Kedgaon towns reached the spot and formed a human chain to bring the injured out of the valley.

The lack of vehicles to shift the injured to hospitals also affected rescue work. The injured were shifted to Supa in two State Transport buses. Later, they were shifted to Sassoon Hospial in Pune, government hospitals in Baramati as well as Daund and some private hospitals in Yavat.

Altogether 10 injured persons were brought to the Sassoon Hospital here, of whom four, who were critical, have been admitted, according to the hospital authorities.