Four members of a family escaped the fate of the passengers on the 217B bus when a block of wood prevented their taxi from falling into Lower Bagjola Canal after its axle broke.

Asim Ghosh and three of his family members were going from Dum Dum Park to Kestopur in the taxi on Monday morning.

“The driver lost control of the car when its front axle broke. The taxi skidded along VIP Road, before stopping within inches of the canal after hitting a block of wood. The bus had plunged into the canal very close to the spot,” said an officer of Baguiati police station.

“With the three passengers in the back and the one in front screaming in fear, the driver placed bricks in front of the wheels so that the vehicle didn’t roll into the canal. The passengers came out through the right door,” added the officer.

“The driver suddenly lost control of the taxi, which headed straight towards the canal. We thought we would die, but the taxi stopped at the edge of the drop into the water,” Asim told the police.

“I came to know about the accident from an officer of Baguiati police station and rushed to the spot and found that the passengers were safe,” said Tapas Chatterjee, the chairman of Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality.