<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>At least 27 people were injured and 12 lost their lives in a tragic accident in Maharashtra's Raigad district on the old Mumbai-Pune highway on Saturday. The incident occurred when a bus carrying about 40 passengers plunged into a gorge on its way from Pune to Mumbai.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The private bus was carrying members of a traditional music troupe from Pune to Mumbai when it fell into a gorge near Shingroba temple on the highway at around 4.50 am.</div><div><br></div><div>An unnamed police official gave details about the injured and deceased to news agency PTI, he said, “The bus was carrying members of 'Baji Prabhu Vaadak Group' from Mumbai's Goregaon. They were returning to Goregaon after taking part in an event in Pimpri Chinchwad area in Pune district. The bus had left the venue around 1 am on Saturday,"</div><div><br></div><div>The police official also informed that the incident occurred under the Khopoli police station limits which lies around 70 kilometers from Mumbai.</div><div><br></div><div>Raigad Superintendent of Police (SP) Somnath Gharge while informing about the people involved in the accident said that they belonged to Sion and Goregaon in Mumbai and Virar in neighbouring Palghar district.</div><div><br></div><div>Police officials confirmed that the injured passengers were in the age group of 18-25. They have now been admitted to Khopoli Rural Hospital for further treatment. Meanwhile, a rescue operation by a team of local police and trekkers is underway to find the missing passengers.</div><div><br></div><div>Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also expressed grief over the accident and announced a relief of ₹5 lakh for the relatives of deceased passengers.</div><div><br></div><div>While sharing the information on Twitter, Maharashtra CMO tweeted in Marathi, “The Chief Minister@mieknathshinde has expressed deep grief over the horrific accident that took place on the old Mumbai-Pune highway when a private bus fell into a ravine. Expressing condolences to the deceased and their families, an aid of ₹5 lakh each has been announced to the relatives of the deceased."</div><div><br></div><div>“As soon as the information about the accident came, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde contacted Raigad Collector, Superintendent of Police over phone and inquired about the incident. While giving instructions to provide immediate help to the accident victims, the Chief Minister also directed to provide immediate medical treatment to the injured at government expense." the Maharashtra CMO added. Source: livemint.com&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>