At least five people lost their lives on Monday morning after the car in which they were travelling lost control and plunged into the Jagbudi River in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district. As per preliminary information from police, the car lost control, skidded off and fell 100 to 150 feet into the river at around 5 a.m. on Monday.

The ill-fated car was lifted out of the river with cranes, while bodies of the deceased were retrieved from inside by the Khed Police. The deceased have been identified as Mitali Vivek More (43), Megha Paradkar (22), Saurabh Paradkar (22), Nihar More (19) and Shreyas Sawant (23).

The passengers were travelling to Devrukh from Nallasopara in Palghar district to attend a funeral ceremony when the accident happened on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. While all five passengers died on the spot, the car’s driver was severely injured and has been hospitalised.

Local residents rushed to rescue victims

Hearing a loud noise of the car falling into the river, local residents rushed to the scene and tried to rescue the victims from the sunken car, while some of them dialled the police station. Rescue officials were also informed and they reached the spot soon after and rescued the driver, who was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The driver’s condition is said to be critical. The case is being further investigated by Khed Police Station to identify the root cause of the accident.

Video of drowned car being rescued goes viral

Disturbing visuals from the accident site have begun circulating online, capturing the aftermath of the tragedy. The car, believed to be a tourist vehicle, was retrieved from the river with the help of a crane. The video shows the mangled vehicle being lifted out of the water with its roof completely crushed. Police personnel and local residents can be seen assisting in rescue and recovery efforts.

Ratnagiri, Maharashtra: An accident occurred on the Mumbai-Goa Highway when a car plunged into the Jagbudi River. Five passengers lost their lives, while the driver sustained serious injuries. All the occupants were traveling from Mumbai to Devrukh pic.twitter.com/kty9tEnNM6

— IANS (@ians_india) May 19, 2025

Recent road accidents in Maharashtra

Recently, at least three people were killed and eight others injured in a head-on collision between a tempo traveller and a truck on the Satara-Lonand route near Salpe village in Maharashtra during the intervening night of May 10 and 11. The truck was found to be speeding.

On May 9, in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, four people were killed and 20 others injured in a road accident. The accident occurred on the Tala-Mandad road when a speeding dumpster hit a state transport bus. The injured were promptly moved to the nearest hospital. The state transport bus suffered massive damage in the accident.