37 killed in road mishap

Mumbai: Thirty-seven persons were killed and 15 injured when a Mumbai-bound bus from Goa fell into a river bed in Khed in Ratnagiri district, about 200 km from here, around 3.30 am on Tuesday. According to officials in Ratnagiri, the driver was apparently asleep when the bus was speeding on the bridge over Jagbudi river. It crashed through the metal barriers and plunged into the river bed. Most of the passengers were asleep. Local villagers rushed to rescue the survivors, who included the driver. Rescue operations were delayed because of the darkness. Most of the survivors were rushed to nearby hospitals in Ratnagiri. At least half a dozen of the passengers are reported to be in serious condition. The 600-km-long stretch of NH-17, which links Mumbai to Goa, is accident-prone. According to Maharashtra Home Minister, RRPatil, 828 people were killed and more than 2,400 injured in accidents along the Mumbai-Goa highway between 2010 and 2012.