Bus driver was coming to city to confirm son’s admission

MUMBAI: Residents at Sawarde, a sleepy village 4 kilometres from Chiplun, were jolted out of their sleep on Wednesday morning when they heard the news of the accident

MUMBAI: Residents at Sawarde, a sleepy village 4 kilometres from Chiplun, were jolted out of their sleep on Wednesday morning when they heard the news of the accident at Mahad. The 29 people travelling in the two state transport (ST) buses, which were swept away in the Savitri river, included their neighbour Shrikant Kamble, 57, and his son Mahendra, 18.

HT Image

While Kamble was the driver on one of the buses travelling from Jaigad to Mumbai, Mahendra accompanied him to confirm his admission to Veermata Jeejabai Technological Institute in Matunga.

Shrikant’s nephew Atul Kamble told HT Shrikant has been a bus driver for 28 years. Although originally from Kolhapur, the Kambles settled down at Sawarde after Shrikant was posted at the Chiplun depot. Mahendra, Atul said, topped his college in HSC. “He had to appear before the college authorities on Wednesday to confirm the admission,” Atul said.