Mumbai: A bus driver in Mumbai lost control and rammed several other vehicles on Monday night, resulting in the death of at least seven people and injuries to 49 others on a busy road. The electric bus whizzed past several shops as it brushed vehicles parked on the roadside, sparking chaos on the streets. The accident occurred around 9:45 pm at Mumbai’s Kurla (West) area. The death toll is likely to go up as many injured are in critical condition.
Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, the public transport provider in Mumbai, said Sanjay More, the driver of the bus, lost control near the Kurla (West) market — on its way from the Kurla Railway Station (West) towards Sakinaka.
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The bus — running on route number 332 — accelerated uncontrollably and hit about two dozen vehicles on the way, including auto-rickshaws, two-wheelers, and a police jeep. An official said the bus then crashed into the gates of an apartment.
The victims have been identified as Kannis Ansari, 55, Afreen Shah, 19, Anam Shaikh, 20, Shivam Kashyap, 18, Vijay Gaikwad, 70, Faruq Chaudhari, 54.
Besides seven casualties, at least 49 others were injured in the accident. At least four police personnel were among those injured, said a doctor at the Seven Hills Hospital.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance for the family of each victim. The BEST will take care of the treatment of those injured, he said.
The driver of the public bus has been arrested and charged with culpable homicide. Police sources suggest he did not have much experience of driving heavy vehicles. The cops have yet to conduct his blood test to check if he was drunk during the accident.
The bus — which officials say had been in service for just three months — will also be checked for technical faults. The Olectra bus is registered in the name of a company called EVEY Trans and has been taken on a wet lease by the BEST. An official said the drivers of such buses are supplied by the private operators.
According to an eyewitness, the bus swerved over a stretch of 200 metres before the crash. Zaid Ahmed, who lives nearby, said he ran to the spot hearing a loud noise, and saw the bus had hit pedestrians.
