In Kamothe hospital, tears and prayers abound

Two patients, said to be in serious condition, are Rushabh Ravindra Korpe, 14, and Sanket Chaudhary 35. Korpe, a class VIII student, is unconscious. He has injuries on head, hand and back. Doctors have kept him under observation.

Mumbai: A police constable at the MGM hospital, Kamothe, where about half the victims of the Khopoli bus accident have been admitted, said the main problem they are facing is locating the address and the contact numbers of the victims’ kin.

Navi Mumbai, India - April 15, 2023: CM Eknath Shinde along with Raigad Guardian Minister Uday Samant meets survivors of Khopoli bus accident in MGM Hospital, at Kamothe Navi Mumbai, India, on Saturday, April 15, 2023. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

“The senior members of the Baji Prabhu Dhol Tasha Pathak are dead and not all the other members know each other, as many were just filling in and had joined the group for the first time,” said the constable.

Of the 42 passengers, 20 of the injured are admitted at MGM hospital and one is in a private hospital in Khopoli and eight have been discharged from Khopoli primary health care centre after first aid, said police sources.

One of the doctors from MGM hospital said, “The patients here are all stable with mostly fractures and some head injuries, which are not serious. All of them would be under observation for at least 24 hours and depending upon how they cope, their discharge would be decided.”

Two patients, said to be in serious condition, are Rushabh Ravindra Korpe, 14, and Sanket Chaudhary 35. Korpe, a class VIII student, is unconscious. He has injuries on head, hand and back. Doctors have kept him under observation.

“Korpe has suffered brain hemorrhage. We will observe how he responds to medicines in 24 hours and then take a call on whether he needs to be operated upon,” said a doctor from the hospital on the condition of anonymity. “Chaudhary has damaged his rib cage and has sustained multiple fractures. He has undergone surgery and is under observation for the next 72 hours,” added the doctor.

Rushabh’s parents were informed about the accident at around 6 am and since then his mother has been inconsolable. “We did not even allow her to come to the hospital. Rushabh has a younger sister, who is with the mother. His father is a driver and is running around getting the medicines and meeting the doctor. This was the first time Rushabh went outside Mumbai to perform,” said his uncle Chandrakant Korpe.

Kartik Barot, 19, who was awake when the accident happened at around 4 am, had a miraculous escape and emerged unscathed from the accident. “I was awake at the time of the accident. The bus turned 90 degrees and tumbled into the gorge till it fell upside down with the roof of the bus falling off to one side and the rest of the bus, to the other. I fell towards the side of the roof. People who fell on the side of the roof sustained less injuries,” said Barot, a second year B.Com student.

Luvkush Prajapati, 16, a class XI boy from Sion, sustained a fracture on his hand with no other serious injuries. “I was sleeping when the accident happened, but when I realised what was happening, I held on to the seat’s handle tightly and went beneath the seat due to which I was protected,” he said.

Yash Sakpal, 18, had started learning dhol tasha a month against the wishes of his parents. “I had told him many times not to join the troupe. He has just finished his HSC exams and is awaiting results and hence, we gave in to his tantrums. He had spectacles which broke in the accident and the glass pieces caused bruises all over his face. Besides, he has head injuries and has got stitches,” said Anand, Yash’s father.

Mushaif Muneer Khan,13, a class VIII student, is the youngest among the admissions at MGM Hospital. He was seated on the third seat and played dhol tasha for the troupe. “I got injured during the rescue operations due to the position in which I was stuck,” Khan said.

Most of the Pathak members, even though were paid only ₹500, chose to go to Pune to perform as they love dhol tasha. “We are not even aware if she was ever paid. We allowed her only because she used to love playing the instrument. Now this is the end. We would never allow her again,” said Sneha Homne, mother of 17-year-old Ruchita.