Rookie woman driver plunges to death with car in Maha valley while shooting reel

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra): A 23-year-old woman in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, driving a car in reverse to make a reel, accidentally pressed the accelerator leading to her plunging to death in a deep valley, officials said on Tuesday.

The victim has been identified as Shweta D. Survase, residing in the Hanumannagar area, and the tragedy took place at the Dattadham Temple on Monday, as her friend Shivraj S. Mule filmed her at the wheel.

Not very skilled at driving, the victim accidentally changed to reverse gear and accelerated instead of braking, causing the car to zoom off the cliff into a deep gorge, at least 300 feet below.

On receiving the information, the local police rushed to the spot and arranged to retrieve the badly damaged car and the body of the woman by late Monday night. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on admission.

The Dattadham Temple is situated in the picturesque Sulibhanjan area on the outskirts of the city and attracts hordes of visitors during monsoon.

Locals said that the tragedy could have been averted if there had been a protective wall or railings around the temple, while police said further investigations were underway.