Maha: 15 injured as bus falls into gorge in Palghar

PALGHAR: At least 15 persons were injured, five of them seriously, when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a 25-feet deep gorge at Wagobha Khind in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway early on Friday, police said. The incident occurred around 6 am when the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus was travelling from Bhusawal in north Maharashtra's Jalgaon district to Boisar in Palghar, a police official said. ''The bus fell into an approximately 25-feet deep gorge, in which 15 persons, including the driver, were injured. Five of them have suffered serious injuries. All of them were admitted to a local government hospital,'' he said.

After being alerted about the incident, rescue teams and police as well as administration officials rushed to the spot and rescued the injured persons with the help of some passersby, and shifted them to the hospital, the official said.

One of the passengers alleged that the driver of the bus was under the influence of liquor and drove the vehicle in a rash and negligent manner. He claimed that the passengers even urged the conductor to get the driver changed, but he did not pay attention to their request, which led to the accident.

The accident took place when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve, due to which the bus overturned and fell into the gorge, the passenger said. An official of Palghar police station said that the driver is one of the injured and he is also being treated at the hospital.

''A medical examination will be conducted on him and action will be taken later on,'' he said.