Six injured in highway accident

Six persons were injured after a private bus collided with a container on Nitin Company flyover on the Eastern Express Highway in Thane (West) on Thursday. The accident led to a two-hour traffic jam.

Six persons were injured after a private bus collided with a container on Nitin Company flyover on the Eastern Express Highway in Thane (West) on Thursday. The accident led to a two-hour traffic jam.

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Forty-year-old bus driver Anand Beli’s legs had to be amputated.

The others who were injured are bus cleaner Anil Manjarekar, 25, Ameya Singh, 19, Dattatray Mhatre, 53, Sanjay Pama, 30, and Ramesh Maharana, 38.

The accident took place around 6.30am when the bus, belonging to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, was heading to Chembur from Thane.

“The driver, a resident of Gandhinagar, was speeding as there was not much traffic. The container had broken down and was parked near the divider. The container’s driver Khan Mohammed Afzal, 24, had not kept the parking lights on.”

The collision damaged the bus and Beli’s leg got stuck. It took more than an hour to get him out. His leg had to be amputated.

“Beli has been working as a driver for 10 years. Singh, our neighbour, wanted to visit a relative in Chembur. So, Beli asked him to come along,” said Beli’s brother Solomon, 45.

“We have registered a case against both drivers,” said assistant inspector Dhanraj Bhoi from Naupada police station.