In a head-on collision at Tamhini Ghat on the Pune-Mangaon highway, a Maruti Swift car crashed into a state transport (ST) bus, killing the car driver and an elderly passenger, while three others, including a seven-month-old infant and the child's mother, miraculously survived.
The family, along with two elderly neighbors, was traveling from Pune to Pali to visit the Ganpati Temple when the accident occurred on Wednesday around 1:15 PM near Kondekar village.
According to Mangaon Police, the Maruti Swift was descending a steep slope at high speed when the driver lost control, veered into the opposite lane, and collided head-on with an oncoming ST bus traveling from Khed, Ratnagiri, to Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune.
“The impact of the crash completely wrecked the driver’s side and the rear passenger section of the car, killing driver Manas Kumar Niranjan Sahu (38) and passenger Sakhubai Tukaram Kangude (65) on the spot,” said Assistant Police Inspector Nivrutti Borhade from Mangaon Police Station.
Among the survivors were Rupali Manas Kumar Sahu (28), wife of the deceased driver, their seven-month-old son Rama, and Tarabai Balu Nalawade (45)—all residents of Shindewadi, Paud, Pune.
The officer further added that the car was speeding down the ghat’s slope, leading to loss of control before crashing directly into the middle of the ST bus.
The survivors sustained only minor injuries and were discharged after primary treatment. Following the accident, a case was registered at Mangaon Police Station against the deceased car driver, based on a complaint filed by ST bus driver Ramesh Yogaji Kamite (44).
