Accident occurred during early morning journey
According to police, the incident took place between 5 am and 6 am on Sunday while the group was travelling from Dapoli to Satara. The victims, aged between 19 and 35, had started their journey from Harne in Dapoli around 2 am in an SUV.
When the group did not reach Satara, their relatives began searching for them in the afternoon and later informed the police.
Vehicle traced after search operation
Police said the last known mobile location of the victims was traced near Poladpur. A search operation was launched in the Ambenali Ghat area, where the wrecked SUV was finally spotted in a deep gorge on Monday morning.
Rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local volunteer groups, were deployed to retrieve the bodies. Officials said three bodies had been recovered initially, while efforts continued to recover the remaining victims.
Victims identified
The deceased have been identified as:
Ritesh Lokhande
Suhas Lokhande
Utkarsh Shingte
Nikhil Shingte
Mahesh Pawar
Aditya Salunkhe
Rajesh Katkar (all residents of Satara district)
Ansh Chavan (resident of Ratnagiri district)
Government response
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep grief over the incident and said rescue operations were being conducted on a “war footing.”
He confirmed that district administration teams, along with police from Raigad and Satara, were coordinating recovery efforts. Five rescue teams, each comprising seven members, were deployed for the operation.
“This is an extremely tragic incident. I pay heartfelt tributes to the deceased and share the grief of their families,” the Chief Minister said.
Authorities suspect the driver may have lost control of the vehicle in the ghat section, leading to the fatal plunge into the gorge.
Rescue and investigation efforts are ongoing.
