A major tragedy was narrowly averted in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh when a bus carrying over 50 college students from Maharashtra escaped falling into a gorge after suffering a sudden brake failure at a dangerous turn. According to police, the incident occurred in the Jam Gate ghat section under the Mandleshwar police station limits around 7 pm, and fortunately, nobody was injured. The bus was carrying students who had come to attend a seminar at IIT Indore.
After the seminar, they were travelling from Indore to Maheshwar via Jam Gate when the brakes of the bus failed at a dangerous turn in the ghat below Jam Gate. The driver lost control, and the vehicle broke the roadside railing, ending up hanging at its mouth over the gorge. A mound of stones on the roadside prevented the bus from falling into the gorge, potentially averting a major accident.
The students on board panicked and screamed as the bus slid over the gorge. However, quick-thinking villagers and passersby rushed to the scene and began rescue operations, safely evacuating all the students through the emergency exit. Mandleshwar police station in-charge Pankaj Tiwari and the Dial-112 team arrived at the scene, and all the students were safely transported to Maheshwar in private vehicles.
The administration is currently providing food and shelter to the students at the Dharamshala located at Madhav Gaushala. A crane has been called to pull the stranded bus. According to Tiwari, the brakes of the bus suddenly failed at the Jam Gate, causing it to lose control and break the railing, hanging over the gorge.
