Marathi Actor Mahesh Pawar Dies at 25 After SUV Plunges Into Gorge at Ambenali Ghat; 7 Others Dead
Marathi television actor Mahesh Pawar and seven others were killed when their SUV plunged into a 1,500-foot gorge in Maharashtra's Ambenali Ghat. The group was driving from Dapoli to Satara when the vehicle careened off the winding mountain road, triggering a massive rescue operation by local police and the NDRF.
Popular Marathi television actor Mahesh Pawar and seven others were killed after their SUV lost control and plunged into a deep gorge in Maharashtra's Raigad district. The accident occurred on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar road along the winding Ambenali Ghat stretch, located approximately 180 kilometres from Mumbai. ‘Chak De! India’ Actor Ramakant Daayama Dies at 69; Shubhangi Latkar Remembers Him as a ‘Beautiful Soul’.
Marathi Actor Mahesh Pawar Killed in Road Accident With 7 Others
According to local police and emergency officials, all eight occupants of the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) died on impact when the vehicle careened off the mountainous road. The victims were aged between 19 and 35 years old. The deceased have been identified as Mahesh Pawar (25), Ritesh Lokhande (22), Suhas Lokhande (20), Utkarsh Shingte (21), Nikhil Shingte (25), Aditya Salunkhe (21), and Rajesh Katkar (35), all residents of Satara district, alongside Ansh Chavan (19) from Ratnagiri.
Pawar was a rising talent in the regional entertainment industry, best recognised by audiences for his performance on the popular Marathi television serial Appi Amchi Collector.
Vehicle Traced via Mobile Network Data
The group had departed from Harne in Dapoli at around 2:00 AM on Sunday for a road trip to Satara. Concerns grew when the individuals failed to arrive at their destination and became entirely unreachable, prompting worried family members to initiate a search and alert local law enforcement. Investigating officers managed to trace the final location of the passengers by tracking cellular data from a nearby mobile tower near Poladpur.
Following this lead, local police and search teams surveyed the Ambenali Ghat section, ultimately spotting the wreckage of the SUV deep inside the valley on Monday morning.
Heavy Terrain Hampers Recovery Efforts
Preliminary investigations by the police indicate that the driver misjudged a turn or lost vehicular control while navigating the steep, winding terrain of the ghat before the vehicle plunged between 1,000 and 1,500 feet into the gorge.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and confirmed that the local district administration deployed immediate rescue and relief operations. Five emergency response teams, consisting of seven members each, were formed to coordinate the retrieval process. Sudesh Kumar Dies: Veteran Actor Passes Away at 95 in Mumbai Due to Respiratory Issues.
Due to the extreme depth and challenging geography of the valley, local voluntary rescue groups, including the Mahabaleshwar Trekkers, worked alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to recover the bodies from the crash site.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2026 10:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
