BEST bus tragedy: Toll rises to 7; rookie driver arrested

Mumbai: The death toll in the tragic BEST electric bus accident climbed to seven, with 34 others injured, as authorities confirmed the driver at the wheel was a rookie.

The accused, Sanjay More, was neither intoxicated nor was the vehicle defective, according to initial findings. However, his blood samples have been sent for analysis to rule out any influence of substances.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and pledged financial aid of ₹5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He also directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and BEST to bear the medical expenses of the injured. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar assured a thorough investigation and strict action against the responsible party.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule, and Congress leader M. Arif Naseem Khan joined other Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders in demanding a comprehensive probe into the tragedy.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary stated that the investigation is ongoing, including a medical examination of the accused and a technical inspection of the bus.

The accident occurred at 9:30 p.m. in Kurla West, when More sped the bus into a crowded market area, ramming into 25 vehicles and leaving a trail of destruction along S.G. Barve Marg near Anjuman-E-Islam School. CCTV footage showed panicked residents running for safety as the bus destroyed parked vehicles, two-wheelers, and even a police van.

The air-conditioned bus, wet-leased by the BMC and operating under the Kurla Bus Depot, caused havoc for nearly 500 meters before crashing into a shop. A mob attempted to lynch More at the scene, but a police officer intervened and escorted him to safety. More was arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and will be presented in court later.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Gawade confirmed the bus has been towed for a comprehensive examination by Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials.

Initial investigations suggest that More lost control of the bus and continued to plow through the crowd. Some witnesses alleged that he was laughing during the chaos, further adding to the horror of the incident.

The authorities have pledged to uncover the exact cause of the tragedy and take stringent action to prevent such incidents in the future.

With IANS inputs