Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
The death toll in the BEST bus accident in Mumbai has risen to seven, officials on Tuesday said as experts inspected the wet leased vehicle to ascertain if it had any mechanical fault.
As many as 42 other persons were also rushed to various hospitals after being injured in the incident on the SG Barve Marg in Kurla (West) at around 9.30 pm on Monday when the bus dashed into pedestrians and some vehicles after its driver lost control over the wheels, they said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured persons.
In a message on X, Fadnavis announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
The medical expenses of the injured will be covered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, he said.
"We stand with the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the CM said.
Necessary instructions had been issued to ensure the victims and their families receive prompt assistance, he assured.
Police took the bus driver, Sanjay More, into custody after the incident and he was booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as per officials.
His blood samples were also collected to examine whether he was under the influence of alcohol, an official said.
Three persons were brought dead from the crash site to nearby Bhabha Hospital, officials said on Monday night.
The official said a total of 49 persons were rushed to various hospitals after the accident.
Of them, 35 were taken to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital in Kurla. Two of them were brought dead, while two others were declared dead after admission at the medical facility, the official said.
Later, six injured persons were shifted from the Bhabha Hospital to Sion Hospital where one of them died during treatment.
Out of the total 49 injured, three were rushed to the private Kohinoor Hospital nearby where one person was declared dead, while the condition of the other two was reported to be critical.
Six other injured persons were taken to the private Habib Hospital where one of them was declared dead while the others were undergoing treatment.
Four police personnel were also injured in the accident. They were admitted to the civic-run Seven Hills Hospital and their condition was stable.
Besides, a 35-year-old man was admitted to the private City Hospital in Kurla, the official said.
A civic official on Tuesday said the death toll in the incident has gone up to seven.
The driver of the BEST bus lost control over the wheels on route A322 while plying from Kurla station to Sakinaka. As a result, the bus dashed into pedestrians as well as some vehicles, according to officials.
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's bus, after ploughing through pedestrians and vehicles, entered into a residential society, Buddha Colony, and came to a halt, they said.
Further commenting on the accident, in which several vehicles were dragged or damaged along the way, the transport body said the bus "speed accelerated" after the driver lost control over the wheels.
A BEST official said the bus suffered extensive damage on its front portion and windscreen and some window glasses were also shattered in the accident.
The bus was removed from the spot with the help of a crane and an earth mover machine at around 12.30 am on Tuesday and brought to Kurla depot by 1.15 am.
A team of motor vehicle inspectors examined the bus to find out if there was any mechanical problem in it. They will submit a report to police on the basis of their findings, sources at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) said.
The bus was a 12-metre long electric vehicle manufactured by Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech and it had been taken by BEST on wet lease, an official earlier said.
No official communication was received so far from the wet leasing company EVEY Trans and Olectra on the accident.
The drivers of such buses are supplied by the private operator, he said.
"The bus was just three months old. It was registered on August 20 this year in the name of a company called EVEY Trans," an official from Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO) said.
The Mumbai police have shut the SG Barve Marg, connecting to Kurla station, for traffic movement.
As a result, BEST is operating buses on as many as 10 routes from other nearby locations instead of plying to Kurla station, an official from the transport body said.
Barve road is one of the busiest routes connecting to Kurla station.
Scores of passengers take buses to reach the Bandra-Kurla Complex and other locations from Kurla bus stand located on Barve road.
Eyewitnesses reveal harrowing details
An eyewitness to the BEST bus crash in Mumbai said the bus swerved over a stretch of 200 metres before hitting several vehicles and pedestrians.
Kurla resident Zaid Ahmed said he was leaving his house to go to the railway station when he heard a loud noise.
"I ran to the spot and saw a BEST bus had hit pedestrians, other vehicles, including an autorickshaw and a three cars. I saw some dead bodies in front of my eyes," he said.
The driver was speeding and the bus swerved for about 200 metres before it dashed into multiple vehicles on the road, the 26-year-old local resident said.
"We rescued passengers from the autorickshaw and took them to Bhabha Hospital in another three-wheeler. My friends also helped in providing relief to the injured," Ahmed recounted.
Other eyewitnesses said the bus, which was plying on route number 332 from Kurla to Andheri, also rammed into a police vehicle.
