With the fire brigade and ambulances unable to reach site, people help the police lift bus to rescue those trapped
Forensic experts at the scene of the mishap, where four were killed after a BEST bus driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle, in Bhandup West. PICS/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
A year after a BEST electric bus mishap left nine dead and at least 10 injured in Kurla, an eerily similar accident occurred where the driver of another such vehicle lost control while taking a U-turn near Bhandup railway station, killing four people and seriously wounding 10 to 12 pedestrians around 9.50 pm on Monday.
The bus driver and conductor have been identified as Santosh Ramesh Sawant, 52, and Bhagwan Bhau Ghare, 47, respectively. The Bhandup police theorise that the bus driver possibly hit the accelerator instead of applying the brakes. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told mid-day that due to the presence of illegal hawkers, bus drivers find it difficult to make U-turns at this spot.
The incident
>> Dozens of passengers had queued at the bus stop at the western side of Bhandup railway station
>> Many hawkers were present at the spot, selling vegetables, clothes, toys, and watches
>> Around 9.50 pm, the driver of the Route No. 715 bus lost control of the vehicle while executing a U-turn
>> The bus ended up on the footpath where passengers were standing and rammed into a streetlight pole
>> Four passengers were killed on the spot from the impact
>> Terrified, the hawkers immediately fled with their goods
The deceased
Among the four who lost their lives is Varsha Jaggannath Sawant, a resident of Nardas Nagar, Bhandup West, who had just turned 24 on December 24. Sawant, who was residing with her parents and two sisters, worked as a nurse at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel and had taken three days' leave to attend her cousin’s wedding in Satara.
Narayan Kamble, 55, a daily-wage labourer who sustained fractures to both hands and legs
A close relative told mid-day, “She was delighted on December 24, when we celebrated her birthday. She was helping her parents financially and was to resume working on Tuesday. She was standing in the queue on the footpath when she sustained fatal injuries to her head and back.”
Another family member said, “When Varsha didn’t return home on time, we called her repeatedly. But she was not responding. Later, we received a call from the police, stating that she had been injured in an accident and was admitted to Agarwal Hospital in Bhandup. We rushed to the facility only to learn that she was dead.”
A pass that belonged to one of the deceased, Varsha Sawant, a nurse who had just turned 24 on December 24
Another deceased, Prashant Shinde, 43, was working as a traffic warden, according to his brother-in-law, Shailesh Shirke. The sole breadwinner of his family, Shinde lived with his wife Kanchan and 10-year-old son, Soham, in Bhandup West. Shirke told mid-day, “Prashant had a daytime and nighttime job. Just a year ago, he started earning enough to get by comfortably. He was returning home from traffic warden duty at the time of the mishap.”
The injured
Mangesh Dukhande, another Bhandup West resident, was also on his was home when disaster struck. Dukhande sustained injuries to his nose and left leg.
Dukhande, who was admitted to Agarwal hospital, said, “Though I saw the speeding bus, I couldn’t react and got trapped under it. It all happened in just two or three seconds. Passers-by removed me and admitted me to the hospital. The passengers didn’t have a chance to save themselves.”
Narayan Kamble, 55, a daily-wage labourer, who resides in Shivaji Nagar, Bhandup West, sustained fractures to both hands and both legs as well as injuries to his back.
Prashant Shinde, 43, a traffic warden who lost his life
He said, “I was standing in the queue when the speeding bus suddenly appeared. I tried to jump to safety, but the vehicle hit me from the rear and ran over me. Locals removed me from under the bus and admitted me to the hospital. I’m grateful to be alive but am in intense pain.”
Eyewitness accounts
Dinesh Jain, Saree shop owner
‘I was standing outside on the footpath when the bus rammed into a streetlight pole while making a U-turn. The pole saved many lives. This road is always busy because of hawkers, who impair movement of buses’
Hasmukh Savla, Local shopkeeper
‘The bus first climbed on footpath and was then brought to a halt by the pole. Shopkeepers removed the injured from under the bus with help of locals’
Harshad Patel, Local shopkeeper
‘We were closing our shops when the incident occurred. Many hawkers are blocking the path of buses. They should all be removed’
Munna Jani, Farsan shop owner
‘The bus rammed into the pole in front of my shop. I am still traumatised. A small girl was crushed under a wheel in front of my eyes. We tried to rescue all the victims. There was blood everywhere’
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