Seven dead as truck turns turtle, crashes into bus on Mumbai-Goa Highway

At least seven people have died after a truck carrying coal turned turtle and landed on a state transport bus near Ratnagiri on Wednesday morning. The incident took place on the Mumbai-Goa Highway at Nivali Ghat near Ratnagiri at around 9.15 am.

According to the local highway police, the incident took place on a sharp turn of the ghat section, where the truck driver heading towards Mumbai lost control over the vehicle. As a result, the vehicle turned turtle and came crashing down on the state transport bus that was heading towards Ratnagiri from Chiplun. At the time of the incident, over 45 passengers were travelling in the bus. All the injured were rushed to civil hospital in Ratnagiri.

"As it was morning time, the state transport bus plying on the local route from Chiplun to Ratnagiri was carrying many passengers. The curve is a dangerous spot on the ghat as several accidents take place on the same. There were no passengers from Mumbai as it was a local route. Seven passengers are dead and others injured in the incident," said Deepak Girkar, Assistant police inspector from Ratnagiri Highway traffic police division.

He further revealed that the curve spot is accident prone as every month, on an average, a minimum of one accident is reported there. "Due to the sharp curve, vehicles lose balance and often turn turtle on the curve," Girkar informed.

Meanwhile, the truck driver has been booked under Section 304(a), 279, 337, 338, 427 and 184 Motor Vehicles Act of Indian Penal Code for causing death due to negligence.