Maharashtra: Six killed as SUV falls into gorge in Tamhini Ghat

Mumbai, Nov 20 (PTI) Six young men out for a picnic were killed after their SUV fell into a 400-feet gorge in Tamhini Ghat in Maharashtra's Raigad district, police said on Thursday.

While the accident apparently took place in the early hours of Tuesday, police were informed only on Thursday morning, an official said, adding that the vehicle was traced with the help of a drone camera.

The victims, aged between 18 and 22 years, had set off from Pune in a Thar SUV late on Monday evening, the police official said.

Tamhini Ghat, a scenic mountain road linking Raigad and Pune districts, is a popular picnic spot.

"Since they did not return the next day, some family members on November 19 approached the Uttam Nagar police station in Pune to lodge a missing persons complaint. The last known location of their mobile phones was traced to Tamhini Ghat. Then Mangaon Police were informed and a search operation was launched," an official of Uttam Nagar police station said.

After coming across a broken safety railing along a curve in the road, police deployed a drone and found the SUV stuck in a tree in the valley.

There were no eye witnesses but it is suspected that the driver lost control of the wheel at the spot leading to the accident, said an official.

A rescue team of Raigad Police and local volunteers recovered the bodies on Thursday afternoon, he said.

The deceased were identified as Shahaji Chavan (22), Punit Shetty (20), Sahil Bote (24), Mahadev Koli (18), Onkar Koli (18) and Shiva Mane (19), all residents of Uttam Nagar. The SUV belonged Bote's friend. PTI DC SPK KRK