New Delhi: A tragic wrecking took place at Ambenli Ghat near Mahabaleshwar at virtually 2:45 am on Sunday morning. A Scorpio returning from Konkan to Satara suddenly went out of tenancy and fell into a 1500-foot-deep gorge. 8 friends traveling in the car died on the spot. The wrecking was so terrible that the rescue team had to search for persons with binoculars.
Who were the people in the car?
According to the police, all the youth were residents of Asgaon and Koregaon in Satara district. All these friends were returning without visiting Harne Beach on the night of 24th May. The suburbanite lost tenancy while crossing the dangerous turn of Ambenli Ghat near Dabeli village of Raigarh district. Within a moment the vehicle fell straight into a deep ditch.
Why was the rescue work so difficult?
The ditch was so deep and the zone so inaccessible that the rescue team lost their sweat. As soon as the news was received, Poladpur Police, Mahabaleshwar Trackers, Pratapgarh Rescue Team, Aapda Mitra and villagers reached the spot. But it seemed untellable to get down. First a sufferer soul was seen through binoculars. Then the team descended with the help of ropes. So far only two persons have been recovered from a depth of 500 to 700 feet. The search for the remaining persons and the vehicle is ongoing.
What did the police say?
Poladpur police station officer Anand Rowde said that the wrecking happened on the verge of Dabeli village. It was night time, the wrench of the ghat was sharp and it was moreover quite dark. It is feared that the suburbanite could not tenancy the vehicle due to sleep or upper speed.
Has Ambenli Ghat been witness to accidents before?
This ghat has wilt a ghat of death. In 2018, the Dapoli Agricultural University bus fell into a ditch here. Many students lost their lives in that wrecking also. Local people have been taxing installation of crash barriers and warning boards here for a long time. But without every major accident, there are only promises of investigation.
What next?
At present the rescue operation is going on. The ditch is very deep so it is taking hours to remove each sufferer body. The rainy season is moreover subtracting to the problem. This wrecking has once then raised questions on the safety of the ghat roads. Dangerous turn, no parapet, no light, for how long will people protract to lose their lives? There is mourning in Asgaon and Koregaon. The lamps of 8 houses were extinguished simultaneously.
