The death toll in the Kurla bus accident have rose to seven people and nearly 50 have been severely injured, according to a latest report released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s disaster control department on Tuesday, December 10.
Hours later, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter), Fadnavis assured the public of his support for those affected and announced financial assistance of INR 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased, sourced from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
Experts are currently inspecting the wet-leased bus to determine whether any mechanical fault contributed to the accident.
Owing to this, SG Barve Marg (Kurla station) has been closed for traffic movement. As a result, the BEST is operating buses on as many as 10 routes from other nearby locations instead of plying to Kurla station.
कुर्ला बुद्ध काॅलनी येथे काल रात्रीच्या अपघातामुळे पोलीसांनी स. गो. बर्वे (कुर्ला स्थानक) मार्ग बंद केल्याने बसमार्ग ३७,३२०,३१९,३२५,३३०,३३२ ई, कुर्ला आगार येथे खंडीत तसेच बसमार्ग ३१०,३११,३१३,३१८ ई टिळक नगर येथे यु वळण घेऊन (कुर्ला स्थानक न जाता) परावर्तित केले आहे. #bestupdates
— BEST Bus Transport (@myBESTBus) December 10, 2024
Among the deceased were Kaniz Fatema Ansari (55), Afreen A. Shaikh (19), Anam Shaikh (18), and Shivam Kashyap (18).
The bus, reportedly driven by an allegedly drunk Sanjay More, veered into the crowded market at a dangerously high speed, colliding with both moving and stationary vehicles, including a police jeep.
According to BMC, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) bus number 332 left from Kurla station and was heading towards Sakinaka Andheri when it lost control. Over a 100-metre stretch, it collided with 30-40 vehicles before crashing into the RCC column of the Solomon Building, breaking its compound wall.
The incident occurred near the BMC L Ward in Kurla on on SG Barve Road, close to the Anjuman-e-Islam School on Monday night, December 9, around 9:30 pm, officials said. Police suspect a brake failure caused the crash.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses claimed the driver appeared to be laughing and enjoying the chaos as the vehicle hurtled nearly 500 metres before coming to a stop, as reported by IANS.
The 50-year-old bus driver has been detained on multiple charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Also Read: Kurla Bus Accident: Shiv Sen MLA Dilip Lande clarifies
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