A major road accident was reported late Thursday night in the Kashedi Ghat section along the old Mumbai-Goa highway near Ratnagiri district, reported Loksatta. A state transport bus operating on the Khed-Borivali route reportedly lost control after its brakes failed, leading to a violent collision with a bulk carrier truck ahead. According to the report, the impact left the truck driver and around 12 to 13 passengers injured, some of them critically. The sudden brake failure caused panic among passengers as the driver struggled to regain control before crashing into the heavy vehicle on the ghat stretch.
The bus had departed from Khed depot at around 10 pm and reached the Bhogav area in Raigad district between approximately 11:30 pm and midnight, where the accident occurred. The collision site is considered highly dangerous due to a deep valley running alongside the road. Fortunately, the bus narrowly avoided plunging into the gorge, preventing what could have turned into a far more tragic incident. Authorities and locals noted that the बचाव from falling into the valley significantly reduced the scale of casualties and potential loss of life.
The Kashedi Ghat stretch has witnessed multiple incidents in the past, including road cave-ins and dangerous driving conditions. Although the Kashedi tunnel on the Mumbai-Goa highway has been opened to improve safety, some state transport buses continue to use the old route to serve interior villages. At present, road construction work is underway near Bhogav, and preliminary findings suggest that the accident may have been triggered by brake failure at this very spot. Local residents have also raised concerns, alleging inadequate safety arrangements and poor management at the ongoing construction site.
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Soon after receiving information about the accident, Shiv Sena Khed taluka chief Sachin Dhadve rushed to the spot to assess the situation. Members of a local volunteer group, including Prasad Gandhi, Akshay Bhosale, Nikhil Chaudhary, Sameer More, and Darpan Darekar, actively participated in rescue efforts and assisted the injured. The Poladpur police also arrived promptly and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Traffic movement in the area was disrupted for some time following the incident, but was later restored after emergency teams cleared the road.
Officials stated that the situation could have been far worse had the bus fallen into the deep valley beside the ghat. The incident has once again brought attention to the pressing need for stricter road safety measures, especially in high-risk ghat sections undergoing construction. Concerns regarding passenger safety, maintenance of public transport vehicles, and proper implementation of safety protocols at work sites have resurfaced. Authorities are expected to conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident and evaluate lapses, if any, to prevent similar mishaps in the future.