Some of the passengers sustained minor injuries. (Express)
Thirty-one passengers of a Shiv Shahi State Transport bus, which was on its way to Pune from Dapoli, had a narrow escape on Saturday morning after the vehicle slipped off the road, overturned and fell into a field. The incident took place at 11.30 am at Lonere village in Mangaon taluka of Raigad district, said police.
As many as 14 passengers, including the bus conductor, sustained minor injuries. They were treated for injuries and shock before being sent to Pune in another bus arranged by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation Limited.
The accident comes less than a month after 31 passengers of a bus, which was on its way to Mahabaleshwar from Dapoli, died when their vehicle plunged into an 800-feet deep gorge near Poladpur in Raigad district.
“Saturday’s incident took place when the driver was reportedly trying to overtake a vehicle. He saw another vehicle coming from the other side. To avoid a collision, he manoeuvred the bus towards the edge of the road. It skidded off the road, overturned and fell into a field located about 5 feet below the road surface,” said an officer with Gorehaon Police Station in Raigad district.
Raigad Police have recorded the incident under relevant sections of Motor Vehicle Act. They said an offence will be registered after preliminary investigation.
While some reports on social media and news channels claimed the driver fled the spot of the accident, police denied the accusation.
“The driver, Pradip Bhaskar Dixit, was present at the spot. Once police reached the spot, he was advised to go to the Gorehaon Police Station, as there was a possibility of angry passengers or local residents assaulting him,” said the police official.
On July 28, a bus carrying 32 passengers had fallen into an 800-feet deep gorge while crossing the Ambenali Ghat on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar Road. Thirty of the passengers were employees of the Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, located in Dapoli.
Only one passenger, Prakash Sawant Desai, survived the accident after he managed to cling on to some tree branches when he fell out of the bus, as the vehicle plunged into the valley.
The incident has again brought into focus the issue of road safety in the coastal districts of the state. Local residents have often complained about the absence of protective fencing along the narrow roads in the Ambenali and Pasarni Ghats in Raigad and Satara districts. They said deadly accidents can be avoided if proper fencing is erected throughout the roads in the ghat sections.