At least thirteen people died and twenty-nine were injured when a bus carrying a traditional music and dance ensemble plunged into a ravine near the city of Mumbai, on the west coast of the Indialocal authorities reported this Saturday.
Among the fatalities there are three minors who were traveling in the affected vehicle, belonging to the Indian instrumental music group Dhol-Tasha-Zaanj, the AFP news agency reported.
In the transport, in which 42 people were traveling, it covered the distance that separates the city of Pune from that of Bombay, reported the Indian television NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited).
The ravine through which the bus plunged (around 4:15 a.m. local time), reaches a depth of around 90 meters and is located in the mountainous region of Bor Ghat, a mountain pass located between the Palasdari railway stations. and Khandala, some 70 kilometers from the port city of Mumbai, known as the heart of the “Bollywood” film industry.
“The accident occurred when the bus fell into a gorge on the old section of Mumbai-Pune road in the Raigad district, Maharashtra state,” the local police statement specified.
“The vehicle was heading to Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, from the city of Pune, where the musicians had performed,” police officer Atul Zende told a news conference.
“At the moment the exact cause of the precipitation that ended up costing the lives of most of the members of the music band, who were between twenty and fifteen years old, was not known,” Zende added.
The chief minister of the state of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, has already conveyed his condolences and in turn announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (about 5,500 euros) for the families of each of the fatalities. The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also allocated 200,000 rupees (2,200 euros) in compensation for each deceased and 50,000 (550 euros) for each injured person.
Fatal road accidents are common in India due to reckless driving, poor road conditions and age of vehicles. More than 110,000 people are killed each year on the country’s roads, according to police sources in the South Asian country.
Source: Ambito
