2 buses collide on Pune-B’lore highway, 1 dead

KOLHAPUR: One person was killed and 45 others injured when two private luxury buses collided at the ‘S’ turn near Khambatki tunnel on Pune-Bangalore national highway in the wee hours of Sunday.
A Mumbai-Chandoli luxury bus that was on the wrong side of the highway collided with a Kolhapur-Mumbai bus and fell into a 30-foot-deep valley. The deceased has been identified as Dipak Shivaji Nikam of Indira Nagar, Kharegaon.The police said he was about 40 years old.
Ten people were seriously injured and shifted to a hospital in Shirval, while others were taken to a primary health care centre in Khandala.
While the Khambatki tunnel is meant for vehicles going towards Pune, those coming to Satara have to take the ghat. The Chandoli-bound bus was travelling in the wrong direction to avoid the ghat section, the police said. The absconding driver has been booked.
Inspector Ashok Shelke of the Khandala police station said, “The bus was lifted from the valley and the road was cleared for traffic.”