16 hurt as bus overturns in Thane

The overcrowded luxury bus was on its way to Nepal from Borivali, when it turned turtle on Ghodbunder road, Thane. (Photo: Deepak Kurkunde)

Sixteen persons, including a pregnant woman, were injured when a tourist bus on its way to Nepal from Borivali turned turtle on Ghodbunder Road near Ovla in Thane on Monday afternoon. According to the police, the bus was overcrowded. The bus had the capacity to carry 52 people, but 75 passengers were being ferried. The pregnant woman was identified as Indradevi Gull.

The Thane police is likely to file a case, naming the bus driver Gokul kumar as the accused. Following the incident, the accused driver escaped the spot through the broken front-windshield of the bus. There was a traffic jam on the Ghodbunder road for 30 minutes due to the accident and the subsequent rescue efforts.

The accident occurred around 12.30 pm because the bus driver could not control the vehicle after a speeding truck overtook it, according a police source.

The bus’s cleaner, identified as Amrit Gushal, is among the injured, who have all been admitted to a local private hospital. The Kasarvadavali police said, “It is totally the fault of the bus driver. The bus's capacity is just 52 passengers, but he accommodated 72 people. Also, he had taken short-destination passengers along the way. When he came to Gaimukh, a truck driver overtook the bus and the driver lost control of the vehicle.”

One of the passengers, Suresh Gupta, said, “We got into the bus around 10.30 am from Borivali. I wanted to visit my village in Uttar Pradesh. We told bus driver not to take in more passengers, as the vehicle was already full. Four to five people were accommodated in seats that are for three passengers. Some people were standing too. Also, there was all the passengers' baggage. The incident happened near Naglabunder and we helped each other to got out of the bus. A pregnant woman was badly injured and she was immediately taken to a nearby hospital.”