Mumbai BEST bus crash: Death toll rises to 6; experts examine vehicle

MUMBAI: 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.

The BEST bus, after ploughing through pedestrians and vehicles, entered into a residential society, Buddha Colony, and came to a halt, the officials said.

Three deaths were reported on Monday.

A civic official on Tuesday said the death toll in the incident has gone up to seven.

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.

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.

In details shared with the media after more than five hours of the accident, BEST said “as per the initial information, the driver lost control of the bus”.

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.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police shut the SG Barve Marg, connecting to Kurla station, for traffic movement.

As a result, BEST was 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 travel in buses from Kurla bus stand located on Barve road to reach the Bandra-Kurla Complex and other location.