Bus carrying staff of Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth Agriculture University skids off en route Mahabaleshwar.
Mumbai: Thirty three students and staff of a Maharashtra university were killed when the bus they were travelling in fell off a mountain road in Ambenali Ghat, Raigad district on Saturday afternoon.
District Collector Vijay Suryawanshi confirmed to PTI that 33 people in the bus, carrying a total of 34, had died in the horrific accident.
The bus had staff members of the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth Agriculture University (Dapoli), who were on their way for a picnic to Mahabaleshwar when the accident took place.
The bus skidded off the road while passing through the mountainous region and fell into a 250 to 300 feet deep gorge.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) immediately rushed to the spot for the rescue operation.
Reports say that the sole survivor clambered up the mountain side and alerted locals.
The stretch of the highway in the Western Ghats, where the accident occurred, has witnessed heavy rain for the last few days.
State minister Vinod Tawde tweeted, "30 people, including students of Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, were fatally injured after a bus falls down a mountain road on Mumbai-Goa highway near Raigad. Rescue operation underway. Instructed officials on prompt action." The number of dead was revised later to 33.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a bus accident in Maharashtra's Raigad district. My condolences to those who lost their loved ones," PM Modi wrote.
"I'm sorry to hear about the terrible bus accident in Raigad, Maharashtra in which a large number of people have been killed and many others injured. I appeal to Congress party workers in the area to provide all possible assistance to the injured and families of those who have died," Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted.