NEW DELHI, July 28 (Xinhua) -- As many as 33 people died in India's southwestern state of Maharashtra on Saturday, when the bus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge, confirmed a senior local administration official.
The mishap occurred in the state's Raigad district.
Raigad District Collector Vijay Namdeo Suryawanshi told Xinhua over the phone that the bus accident took place at around noon, when the bus carrying staff members of an agriculture university skidded off the road and fell into the gorge. The university staff members were on a picnic.
The bus was going from Dapoli area towards Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in the country's forested Western Ghats range. The bus fell into a deep valley in Ambenali Ghat, added Suryavanshi.
He further stated that there were a total of 34 passengers in the ill-fated bus. Rescue work is being carried out and dead bodies are being recovered. Heavy rains in the area is hampering the relief and rescue work.
