Bus falls into gorge in Raigad: A passenger waved for help, by the time we reached he was dead, says local trekker

When the trekkers reached the spot, they sought information from Prakash Desai, the lone survivor of the accident, as well as some policemen who were already at the site.

Read | Bus falls into gorge in Raigad

Twenty-five members of Sahyadri Group and 15 from Mahabaleshwar Group then rappelled down the gorge towards the accident spot. “It took us over an hour to reach the spot. As we were nearing it, we saw at least six to seven persons had been thrown out of the bus and were badly injured. One of them motioned to us for help. But by the time we reached the spot, he had died. The other bodies were disfigured… we started putting the bodies in bedsheets and carried them up the slope, with the help of ropes,” said Sanjay Parte, leader of the Sahyadri Group.
Another trekker, Akshay Shelar, said, “We have carried out search and rescue missions in this area earlier… we are familiar with the terrain… that knowledge helped us this time.”

NDRF officials acknowledged that till their arrival, the trekkers played a crucial role.

Local residents said while accidents were not uncommon in the area, this one took place at an unusual spot, at a stretch of the road that was comparatively wider. The Ambenali Ghat has dangerously spiralling roads that are covered in dense fog during monsoon. Though the roads run alongside gorges that are 600-800 feet deep, protective walls are missing from most of the 35-km stretch of the Ghat.