BB Desk
Mumbai witnessed a deadly Monday as Best Electric Bus veers out of control instantly killing four people and wounding eleven others near the Bhandup railway station. The accident took place outside station’s busiest and most congested stretch bringing into focus once again issues of pedestrian safety and bus operations in crowded urban spaces.
The accident occurred when the 9-metre Olectra electric bus, reached the end of its designated journey and was being manoeuvred near the station exit. In the process of reversing, the vehicle abruptly lost control suddenly moving towards the roadside footpath area where commuters and passers-by were standing. Within seconds, the bus hit multiple people, leaving chaos in its wake.
Describing the scenes of panic, eyewitnesses said people were crying out for help as they rushed to pull the injured crushed under the rear of the vehicle. Emergency services arrived soon after at the scene and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Four victims succumbed to their injuries, while others continue to receive treatment at MT Agarwal and Rajawadi hospitals.
Victims who lost their lives have been identified as Varsha Sawant (25), Pranita Rasam (39), Mansi Gurav (49), and Prashant Shinde (48), a traffic department employee. Bus driver 52-year-old Santosh Sawant was taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of BNS and Motor Vehicle Act. Investigations have hinted at human error ruling out any technical malfunction in the vehicle. Moreover, Sawant himself had reportedly confessed to a judgemental error while reversing which led to loss of control resulting in the accident. CCTV footage of the incident has also been recovered from a nearby saree shop showing the tense moments of the accident
A compensation of Rs 5 lakhs has been announced for the families of killed crash victims by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The tragedy has angered residents and commuters alike, who claim the area outside Bhandup station is chronically congested and poorly managed and an accident of this magnitude was waiting to happen with high volumed pedestrian movement, hawker menace, parked vehicles, and buses operating in close quarters.
As Mumbai sighs over yet another loss of life on its roads, the Bhandup catastrophe has reignited calls for tighter safety protocols, better traffic management around railway stations and enhanced training for public transport drivers to prevent such incidents in the future.
