Six young Pune professionals die after Thar plunges 500 feet into Tamhini Ghat gorge

In a tragic accident, six young professionals from Pune lost their lives after the Mahindra Thar they were travelling in plummeted nearly 500 feet into a deep gorge in the treacherous Tamhini Ghat. The vehicle was recovered late on Thursday evening following an extensive, multi-day search operation involving drones and local trekkers.

The group, all residents of the Kopre locality in Uttam Nagar, had embarked on a leisure trip to Diveagar beach in Konkan late on Monday night. They were reported missing by their families after communication with them was lost hours into their journey, prompting a missing persons report at the Uttam Nagar Police Station on Wednesday.

According to a report by HT, police utilised CCTV footage and mobile location data to narrow the search to a hazardous stretch of the Pune–Mangaon route in Tamhini Ghat. The challenging terrain necessitated a coordinated effort between Uttam Nagar police and their Raigad counterparts.

“A drone spotted the wrecked SUV deep inside the gorge below a dangerously sharp curve. The bodies were also detected nearby,” said Rohan Khandare, senior inspector of Uttam Nagar Police Station, as per HT. He confirmed that the group had taken the Thar, registered to their friend Sahil Bote, when the mishap occurred.