Five people died and three others are critical after a 45-seater, air-conditioned private bus carrying guests to a wedding in Mahad overturned at Tamhini Ghat on Friday morning. The private bus (MH 14 GU 3405), had departed from Chakan in Pune at 6:30 AM and was on its way to Mahad carrying a marriage procession for a wedding. The accident happened while the bus was traveling through Tamhini Ghat.

The marriage procession was heading to Birwadi in Mahad. When the bus reached the waterfall point at the Tamhini ghat, the driver of the bus lost control of the bus and the vehicle overturned. The critically injured passengers were shifted to Sasoon General Hospital in Pune. The Mangaon police have filed a case under Section 106(1) (death by negligence), 125(A) and (B) (reckless and negligent action), 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act (penalties for dangerous driving).

According to the police’s preliminary investigation, the driver failed to navigate a sharp turn on the Ghat. Senior Inspector Nivrutti Borhade from Mangaon police said, “It is an accident prone point due to the steep turn the road has. The bus was coming down from the slope when the driver lost the control. We have booked the driver but he too is injured.”

A complaint was filed by passenger Shivaji Maruti Jagtap (51) against the driver, Vijay Ramchandra Chavan (48), who also sustained a head injury. Jagtap, whose family was heading to the wedding said, “The groom was fortunately in another vehicle and he reached the venue on time. We were to reach the venue by 11 am if not for the reckless driving, we too could attend the wedding of my nephew’s son and the family members whom we lost, would have been alive.”

Thirty-five other passengers who sustained minor injuries, were taken to the district hospital. The five victims who died in the crash include three women and have been identified as Sangeeta Dhananjay Jadhav (52), Shilpa Pradip Pawar (42), and Vandana Sakpal Jadhav (35), along with two men identified as Gaurav Ashok Danavade and Ganesh Ingle (25), the bus cleaner.