SUV falls 800 feet into gorge near Mahabaleshwar road, 8 killed

Eight persons were killed after a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) plunged into a deep gorge in Maharashtra?s Raigad district, police said on Monday.

The accident occurred in the Ambenali Ghat area on Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar road between 5 am and 6 am on Sunday when the victims were on their way from Dapoli to Satara. The vehicle was found in the gorge on Monday morning, a senior police official said.

The victims left from Harne in Dapoli at around 2 am in the SUV. When they did not reach



Satara, their relatives launched a search in the afternoon and later approached the police.

During the investigation, the victims? last location was traced through a mobile tower near Poladpur. While searching in the Ambenali Ghat section, the police spotted the SUV about 800 feet deep in the gorge on Monday morning, the official said.

The police suspect that the accident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle in the ghat area, following which it plunged into the gorge, he said.