Mumbai BEST bus crash: 7 dead, as many critical; arrested driver lacked EV driving experience | Key points

BEST bus crash: Mumbai court sent driver to police custody till December 21 for further investigation; Medical report suggests he did not consume alcohol.

The death toll in the BEST bus accident in Mumbai's Kurla (West) rose to seven on Tuesday, while 42 injured people continued to receive medical treatment in various medical facilities, including Bhabha Hospital, Sion Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital.

Mumbai: People gather near the wreckage of vehicles after a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's bus rammed into pedestrians as well as vehicles on a road at Kurla, in Mumbai. (PTI)

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) said that the driver, Sanjay More (50), had lost control of the bus and rammed into 30 to 40 vehicles and pedestrians over a 100-metre stretch. The bus came to a halt when it crashed into the RCC column of the Solomon Building, breaking its compound wall.

Kurla BEST bus accident | Key updates

• A local court in Mumbai remanded arrested driver Sanjay More to police custody till December 21 for further investigation. He has been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
• Police said on Tuesday that More had no experience driving electric vehicles (EVs). More confessed to the police that he was trained for only ten days before being allowed to drive the bus for daily trips. More also told the police that he could not control the bus on Monday night as he had no prior experience in driving automatic EVs.
• Primary medical reports of More suggested that he was not under the influence of alcohol during the accident. Police said More was mentally alert during the interrogation. Earlier eyewitness accounts alleged that More was in an inebriated state while driving.
• Forensic science experts and Regional Transport Officers examined the 12-metre-long bus involved in the accident to ascertain if it had any mechanical failures that could have led to the fatal accident.
• In a statement, BEST announced the formation of a committee headed by Chief Manager (Transport) Ramesh Madavi to investigate the accident. The agency also said it would provide ₹2 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives and bear the treatment expenses of those injured.
• Among the injured, seven persons remain critical and continue to receive medical attention. Four injured police personnel are reportedly stable.
• A delegation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar. It demanded compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the families of the deceased and between ₹50,000 and ₹2 lakh for the injured.
• The delegation blamed the accident on the decision to hire buses on a wet-lease model and called for its review. Under the wet lease model, a private contractor provides a bus as well as a driver, and also looks after maintenance.