A 60-year-old woman walking down Mahatma Gandhi Road on Friday morning was killed and three other women were injured after being hit by a minibus on the Sealdah-Malipachghora (Howrah) route.
Eyewitnesses said the minibus was moving at a high speed and trying to overtake another bus on MG Road when it lost control. It swerved and hit an iron railing separating the road from a footpath and came to a halt after hurtling a few metres.
The accident occurred near the intersection of MG Road and Kalakar Street around 11.45am, when the business hub was warming up for the day.
The deceased, Nazu Bibi, a resident of Rajgunge in Howrah’s Sankrail, was walking along the left edge of the busy road with another woman when the minibus knocked them down before hitting the iron railing.
Two of the other injured women were in front of the minibus, eyewitnesses said. The minibus moved a few metres ahead after hitting the iron railing and stopped after knocking down the two women in front of it.
“The minibus was moving at a high speed and trying to overtake another minibus. The vehicle suddenly swerved to its left and hit the iron railing after knocking down two women who were walking,” said Sanjoy Halder, the owner of a garment shop at 170 Mahatma Gandhi Road.
“Two women in front of the bus were hit when the vehicle hurtled ahead after hitting the railing. Many shopkeepers like me had a close shave thanks to the iron railing separating the road from the pavement.”
Those who witnessed the accident rushed to the women’s rescue and a section of traders alerted officers at Burrabazar police station.
The injured were taken to Medical College Kolkata where doctors in the Emergency ward declared Nazu Bibi as “bought dead”.
Two of the injured women — Nisha Mehta, 63, fromLiluah in Howrah, and Ramala Debi, 60, a resident of Calcutta — were admittedto Medical College Kolkata. The third — Nikita Kejri-wal, from Jhartukra in Odi-sha — was admitted to Nightingale Hospital, the police said.
“The driver has been arrested and the minibusseized. CCTV footage is being scanned to find out how the bus was being driven before the accident,” said a senior officer at Burrabazar police station.
A section of traders said the death toll could have been higher if the accident occurred later in the afternoon when the area remains crowded with traders and shoppers from across the city and districts.
“Lakhs of people visit Burrabazar every day but there aren’t any designated bus stops on MG Road.Buses and minibuses keep moving while passengersget on or off them,” said a trader, who did not want to be named.