Maharashtra: Traffic diverted after landslide on Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road; no injuries

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Traffic on the key Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road in southern Maharashtra was disrupted after a landslide at the Anuskura ghat, an official said on Saturday, reported news agency PTI.

No one was injured in the landslip that occurred late on Friday night on the arterial Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road, the official said.

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According to the Ratnagiri police control room, earthmoving equipment like JCB machines have been sent to the spot to clear the debris on the Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road, reported PTI.

The road towards Kolhapur is blocked and traffic has been diverted, the official said, reported PTI.

The authorities have urged people to use alternative routes, he added.

Last month, a Pandharpur-bound bus carrying 'warkaris' or pilgrims hit a tractor on Mumbai-Pune Expressway leaving at least five persons killed and 42 injured, reported PTI.

Notably, tractors are not allowed on the expressway.

The bus was carrying 54 warkaris, devotees of Lord Vitthal, to Pandharpur in Solapur district ahead of the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations from Dombivli near Mumbai.

According to deputy commissioner of police Vivek Pansare, the accident took place around midnight near Panvel in Navi Mumbai.

As per the PTI report, the speeding bus hit the tractor from behind while trying to overtake it, police said. Among the five deceased, three were passengers from the bus while two were persons riding on the tractor identified as driver Tarvez Salahuddin Ahmed (27) and Deepak Sohan Rajbhar (30)

The deceased bus passengers were identified as Hausabai Hari Patil (65), Ramdas Narayan Mukadam (71) and Gurunath Bapu Patil (65), said the PTI report.

After hitting the tractor, the bus broke through the barricade of the expressway falling into a 20-feet deep gorge, an official said.

The injured pilgrims were rushed to a private hospital. As per the PTI report, the condition of seven of them was serious, he said.

Addressing the media at the Navi Mumbai hospital, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the families of the deceased will be paid financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each and that the government will bear all expenses of the treatment.

Police were probing the causes of the accident and those responsible will face action, the CM said.

"I met each and every injured, who told me that they were alive due to the blessings of Lord Pandurang," said Shinde.

(With inputs from PTI)