Mumbai bus accident: 4 dead, 9 injured after BEST bus mows into pedestrians in Mumbai’s Bhandup

At least four people died and 14 others were injured late Monday night after a BEST bus went out of control near Bhandup West railway station, police said. The accident happened around 10.05 pm when the bus was taking a sharp U-turn outside the station. The driver lost control, hit a roadside pole and then climbed onto the footpath, running over several pedestrians who were standing near the station entrance.

The bus was operating on route number 606. It was a wet-lease electric AC bus attached to the Vikhroli depot. The driver, Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), was hired on a contract basis.

Bhandup police have detained Sawant and are preparing to register an FIR against him for rash and negligent driving causing death. Following the incident, BEST suspended the driver and ordered an internal inquiry.

Of the four deceased, three were women. The deceased were identified as Mansi Gurav (45), a nurse at Sion hospital; Pranita Rasam (31), a small-time actress; Varsha Sawant (25), and Prashant Shinde, who worked with the traffic department.

According to preliminary information shared by senior police officials, the bus ran over between 10 and 12 pedestrians before coming to a halt.

A message from a senior police officer stated that the bus became uncontrollable and hit pedestrians who were moving along the side of the road. The exact cause of the bus losing control is yet to be ascertained.

The crash comes just a year after the Kurla bus accident, in which nine people lost their lives, raising fresh concerns about road safety and public transport operations in the city.

Eyewitness blames presence of hawkers

Footpath encroachment by hawkers forced people to walk on the road, which led to the death of four people in the Mumbai bus accident, an eyewitness said.

The area outside Bhandup railway station is usually very crowded. Many people come there because vegetables are sold at cheaper prices, which makes the situation even more difficult, the eyewitness said after the accident on Monday evening.

“I was standing at a nearby bus stop waiting for my bus when I heard a loud thud. The next moment, I saw people being thrown off and the bus came to a halt a little ahead,” said Saimini Mudaliyar, a pharmacist, while speaking to PTI.

She said that just moments after the bus stopped, people began lifting and pushing it, suggesting that some victims were trapped underneath the vehicle.

Mudaliyar said she went closer to the bus and saw blood flowing and several bodies lying on the ground.

“One person’s head was smashed, as if the bus had run over it, while another had an injury near the thigh,” she said.