An early morning bus accident in Dang district, Gujarat, India resulted in the death of five pilgrims and injuries to 46 others on Sunday, February 2, 2025. The bus, carrying 51 passengers, fell into a gorge near the Saputara hill station during a multi-state religious journey.
The bus crash occurred at 4:15 AM when the driver lost control on a dangerous mountain road and breached a steel crash barrier near the Malegaon Forest Rest House. “The bus broke the crash barrier and fell at a depth of about 35 feet into the gorge,” stated S.G. Patil, the Superintendent of Police in charge. Preliminary investigations indicate that brake failure may have played a role in the accident.
The deceased include Guddibai Yadav, 60, Kamleshbai Yadav, 60, Bholaram Yadav, 55, Bijendra Singh Yadav, 55, and the bus driver, Ratanlal Jatav, 41. All of the victims were residents of the Guna, Shivpuri, and Ashok Nagar districts in Madhya Pradesh state.
The unfortunate bus was one of four vehicles transporting around 200 pilgrims from the ancient Trimbakeshwar Temple in Maharashtra to the holy city of Dwarka in Gujarat. The pilgrimage, which started in Madhya Pradesh, included visits to Maharashtra and was heading towards Gujarat as part of their religious rites.
Of the injured passengers, 24 were severely hurt and were rushed to Surat Civil Hospital for specialized care, while 22 received treatment at local medical facilities and have since been discharged. Those with critical injuries were attended to by emergency medical teams from Ahwa and neighboring districts. Local police and emergency responders spent several hours navigating the difficult terrain with specialized equipment to aid the victims in the gorge.
The accident site, near Gujarat’s only hill station, is infamous for its twisting roads and sharp turns. The Saputara-Malegaon stretch is particularly hazardous during the early morning hours when fog and mist often reduce visibility. This stretch of road has witnessed multiple accidents in recent years, leading to calls for increased safety measures.
This incident echoes similar ones in India’s mountainous regions. In November of the previous year, 36 people lost their lives in a bus accident in Uttarakhand state’s Almora district, leading to the suspension of transport officials who had approved the bus despite its substandard condition. This accident led to the national authorities implementing stricter safety protocols for mountain routes.
In response to the recent accident, officials are reassessing safety protocols for passenger buses operating on mountain routes during nighttime hours. The state transport department has mandated immediate safety audits of all private buses navigating similar routes.
State officials in Gujarat also announced plans to comprehensively review all crash barriers along mountain roads in the region, with particular emphasis on areas with a history of accidents. They are also evaluating emergency response procedures for mountain rescues to improve response times in comparable situations.
