Pune: Two people from Mumbai were killed and 18 others injured after a private minibus carrying a group of trekkers plunged 40ft into a gorge in the Pabe Ghat section in Rajgad taluka, around 40km from Pune city, in the early hours of Sunday.The victims were among 20 employees of a private company in Andheri, Mumbai, who were on their way to Rajgad Fort for a trek.The Pune Rural police identified the deceased as Vishwas Baburao Satim (25) of Nehrunagar, Vile Parle, and Dhwani Chandresh Thakkar (23) of Kandivali (West), Mumbai.Assistant police inspector Kishore Shevate of the Velhe police told TOI that the accident occurred around 1.50am at a sharp turn on Pabe Ghat. The driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle while negotiating the turn. The bus first crashed into the roadside barriers before plunging into the gorge.“There were 20 employees in the bus. Two were killed on the spot, while the remaining 18 suffered injuries, some of them serious. The injured, along with the driver, are undergoing treatment at a rural hospital,” Shevate said.The officer added that the bus landed on its side after falling into the gorge. The driver was trapped between the driver’s seat and the dashboard.“We summoned an earthmover and positioned it around the bus to prevent it from sliding further,” Shevate said, elaborating on the tense rescue operations.One of the rescue personnel then reached the driver’s cabin and found that his leg was trapped. “He cut the seat belt and safely extricated the driver. Meanwhile, other rescue personnel evacuated the remaining passengers. Satim and Thakkar were unconscious and were declared dead by doctors once they were pulled out,” he said.Based on a complaint lodged by passenger Girish Ravindra Jangam (28), the Velhe police registered a case against the driver, Sandip Gaikwad (40) of Jogeshwari, Mumbai, under charges of causing death by negligence and rash and negligent driving.Shevate said the deceased and the injured were employees of a private company located in the Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) in Andheri.“They left Mumbai on Saturday night so they could reach the foothills of Rajgad Fort early and begin their trek. Pabe Ghat is the nearest route from Mumbai and Pune to reach the fort,” he said.