Mumbai: The rain and fog could not dampen the spirit of the rescue personnel engaged in the recovery of the bodies in the Poladpur bus accident that claimed 30 lives, said a senior district administration official.

Raigad district collector Dr Vijay Suryawanshi said that the rescue personnel did not rest till all the bodies were recovered from the 500-feet-deep gorge into which the bus fell on Sunday. As soon as news reached the district administration, it swung into action, pressing 15 ambulances and five trekking groups into the operation.

Dr Suryawanshi said that upon reaching the accident site, it felt like a Herculean task because of the vertical valley drop of almost 500 feet. However, the trekking groups were trained to carry out rescue operations in such harsh terrain. A team of 25 doctors was rushed to the primary health centre at Poladpur and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was requisitioned. Till Sunday evening, 14 bodies were recovered by the trekking groups. The administration also rushed generator vans to the spot as darkness was approaching, which would have hampered operations. The entire stretch was lit up and the operations continued into the night. The remaining 16 bodies were recovered by Monday morning by the NDRF, he said. Relatives of the deceased thronged the place and arrangements were made for their lodging and boarding. A help desk with police and revenue department officials was set up at Poladpur.