Mumbai: Girl boarded ill-fated BEST bus after first day at job, never to return

Mumbai BEST bus accident: The death toll in the tragic accident in Mumbai's Kurla West rose to seven on Tuesday, with 42 others sustaining injuries.

Updated on: Dec 10, 2024, 17:13:44 IST

By HT News Desk

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Tragic stories of seven persons who were killed by a BEST bus that rammed into pedestrians and vehicles on the SG Barve Road in Kurla (West) are coming to light.

Mumbai: A BEST bus collided with several vehicles in the Kurla area of Mumbai. (HT_PRINT)

Among the deceased is a 20-year-old Afreen Shah, who left her home to attend her first day at a new job. Her father did not expect it would be his last sight of his daughter. When Abdul Salim Shah spoke to her, she said she had been struggling to hire an autorickshaw to return home.

“It was her first day at work at a new company. After work, she reached Kurla railway station, where she called me at 9.09 pm saying she was not getting an autorickshaw for Shivaji Nagar. I told her to walk towards the highway and get an autorickshaw. But, at 9.54 pm, I got a call from my daughter's phone, and it was a staffer from Bhabha Hospital,” Salim told news agency PTI while recalling the magnitude of the tragedy.

Also read | Mumbai accident eyewitnesses recount Kurla BEST bus horror: ‘Bodies were lying…’

Salim rushed to the hospital and found his daughter's body in the casualty ward. “It was her first day at work, and now I will never get my daughter back,” he added.

He urged the government and local administration to take strict action against encroachment. “People in the area are unable to walk on the road. The situation has not changed for so many years. The place is congested because of illegal parking, hawking, metro rail work and other illegal activities. People are unable to walk, and many have lost their dear ones. The government should take strict action on these issues,” Salim said.

Also read | Mumbai: CCTV video shows the moment BEST bus rammed into pedestrians, vehicles in Kurla

What BEST bus driver said

The bus driver, Sanjay More (50), told police that he was uncomfortable with the electric bus's automatic transmission. He reportedly was confused by the absence of a clutch, which led him to press the accelerator instead of the brake.

More has been charged under sections related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Following the accident, police escorted More to JJ Hospital for a medical examination.

An eyewitness alleged that More was under the influence of alcohol and could not control the heavy vehicle. Police said that More failed to control the bus and rammed into several other pedestrians and vehicles.

The injured are being treated in various medical facilities, including Bhabha Hospital, Sion Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital.

(With PTI inputs)

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HT News Desk
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