4 techies killed, 11 hurt after car hits divider and bus near Mumbai

Police said there were seven IT professionals in the car — 4 died and three were hurt — who were going to work from a birthday party and all of them were drunk

Four people died and 11 got injured after a car first dashed into a divider and then into a TMT bus in Bhiwandi on Tuesday morning.

Mangled remains of the car involved in the accident. (Praful Gangurde)

Police said there were seven IT professionals in the car — 4 died and three were hurt — who were going to work from a birthday party and all of them were drunk. The deceased were identified as Vikrant Singh, 24, Niraj Panchal, 23, Mihir Utekar, 23, and Nirav Mehta, 23, and the injured were Vaibhav Cheddha, 24, Ramesh Patel, 22, and Santosh Mishra, 24. The others who were injured were TMT bus passengers who took first aid and went home.

Bus driver Uttam Gaikwad, 51, told the police, “We left Thane bus depot around 9.30am and when we were near Modi compound, a car, which was being driven fast, first hit the divider and then the bus from front.”

Gaikwad added, “Even before the driver lost control on the wheel, he not driving it properly. Also, my steering got locked and I couldn’t turn the bus away. After the bus climbed the divider, I applied emergency brakes.”

Locals helped victims get medical help, they alerted the police and fire brigade too. Pandharinath Bhalerao, police inspector from Narpoli, said, “Vikrant Singh was driving the car in a zig-zag manner. He and all those sitting him died and those on the left survived.”

“We have lodged the case under section 304(a), 279, 337, 338 of the Indian Penal Code and Motor vehicle act 184,” he said.