MUMBAI, Dec 10: At least four persons were killed while 29 others were injured after a BEST bus climbed a footpath after its driver lost control, ploughed into several vehicles and ran over people in a congested marketplace near the Kurla railway station on Monday night. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of brake failure, police said.
Three of those who died have been identified as Shivam Kashap (18), Kanis Fatima Gulam Kazi (55) and Afeel Abdul Saleem Shah (19) while the fourth victim is yet to be identified.
Several victims undergoing treatment had suffered serious injuries, police added.
The incident took place around 9.50 pm opposite Anjuman-e-Islam School on SG Barve Marg in Kurla West. The electric bus was plying on route number 332 between Kurla and Andheri stations.
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A police officer said that it appears the driver lost control of the bus that veered off the carriageway onto the footpath at high speed and ran over everything in its path. The bus finally came to a halt inside the compound of the Shiv Darshan Vihar Cooperative Society. Efforts to remove the bus were on more than an hour after the accident.
Joint Commissioner of Police (law & order) Satyanarayan said that an FIR has been registered against the driver Sanjay More and he has been arrested. “Police have been deployed and the area is peaceful,” he added.
According to eyewitnesses, the BEST bus first rammed into a bike and a police van, and then crashed into several vehicles for over 500 metres on SG Barve Marg.
Farhan Shaikh, who was returning home with his two children, said, “I was walking ahead when I suddenly heard a loud noise. I saw the bus ploughing through other vehicles and pedestrians. As it came towards me, I ran to the footpath with my children.”
Another eyewitness said, “I had an invite for a marriage at Hakimi hall. Barely two minutes after I stepped inside the hall I heard loud sounds. I rushed outside when I saw that my car was fully damaged.”
Police said they were ascertaining the sequence of events. “We have taken the driver into custody and are probing further,” a senior police officer said.
The injured were taken to Bhabha Hospital, Kurla, in ambulances and private vehicles. Some were later transferred to Sion Hospital.
Eyewitnesses said the bus was speeding in a narrow lane crowded by street vendors and pedestrians. The bus driver attempted to flee but locals caught him and handed him to police, they said.
