At least 32 people were killed when a bus on a picnic trip plunged into a deep ravine near Poladpur, around 175km from Mumbai, yesterday morning, officials said.
However, one person escaped with minor injuries.
The victims were all staff members of the Dapoli Agriculture University.
Prakash Sawant-Desai, the only survivor, climbed to safety and alerted the police around 10.30am.
According to Raigad police officer P D Patil, the bus was on way to Mahabaleshwar, a favourite tourist spot, for a weekend picnic when the tragedy occurred.
By noon 12 bodies had been retrieved with the help of locals, he said.
Sawant-Desai told reporters that near Poladpur, the bus reportedly lost control after skidding on wet mud that had collected on the treacherous stretch.
“I managed to climb up and called up the university authorities and the police,” said Sawant-Desai, who is an assistant director.
He said that he had to climb over 500ft, as there was no mobile phone range in the valley below in the Ambenali Ghat section.
“On reaching the road at the top, I came into the mobile range and called up the police and university officials,” he said.
The university promptly informed the police.
The Raigad police along with National Disaster Response Force teams from Pune and groups of trekkers were involved in a massive operation to retrieve the bodies from the ravine fighting heavy rains, with clouds descending on the thickly forested valley and hills.
The bus left at 6.30am for a weekend trip to Maharashtra’s most popular twin hill resort of Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani.
Hundreds of shocked family members of the victims and university officials have rushed to the scene of the accident. The police have blocked the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar road as a precautionary measure.
Deep below in the ravine, the remains of the bus lie as a crumpled heap of metal, with bodies of the passengers strewn around or stuck on trees and bushes.
India has the highest number of traffic fatalities worldwide, with an average of around 135,000 people dying per year on the country’s roads.