Three people were rescued after their Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire slipped on a rain-soaked stretch while climbing Pabe Ghat near Pune and plunged about 150 feet into a gorge on Saturday morning. All three suffered minor injuries, while the vehicle was stopped by a tree, preventing a more serious accident.
According to Velhe police, the incident occurred at around 9am as the car was travelling towards the Pabe Ghat route leading to Torna Fort. The vehicle, registered as MH-03-BS-9740, was carrying Monas Arvindbhai Chabhadia, a resident of Hadapsar, Pune, along with his friends Umesh Kailas Bagde and Ritika Singh.
Police said heavy rain caused the car to skid while it was ascending the ghat section. The vehicle then fell into the gorge but became lodged against a tree. None of the three occupants suffered serious injuries, according to the information provided by the police.
Several tourists travelling behind the car responded after witnessing the accident and helped bring the occupants out of the vehicle. Their immediate assistance enabled the three passengers to reach safety before emergency personnel arrived at the location.
The incident was subsequently reported to disaster-management team members Tanaji Bhosale, Sandeep Solaskar and Dilip Talekar. The team reached the site and assisted with the rescue operation. The injured passengers were taken to the Primary Health Centre in Velhe for initial treatment.
After receiving primary medical care, the three were sent towards Pune city for further treatment. The report did not indicate any serious injury or additional casualty. The accident occurred during heavy rain on a ghat road used by visitors travelling towards the Torna Fort area, where wet road conditions can make vehicle movement more difficult.
The immediate response involved passing tourists, Velhe police, local disaster-management personnel and medical staff at the Velhe health centre. Further details about the vehicle recovery or any road-management measures were not provided in the report.
