A bus carrying employees of Bengal Unitech Universal back home from work on Monday evening skidded on stone chips and overturned in front of Nicco Park, leaving one dead and several injured.

Chinmoy Mondol, 30, a civil engineer who lived in Sonarpur and worked in the Rajarhat site office of the real estate developer, succumbed to head injuries at Bidhannagar Sub-divisional Hospital where he was rushed from the accident site. Chinmoy was a bachelor.

The accident occurred around 7pm when the 27-seater bus allegedly skidded on some stone chips used for road repair, hit an adjoining sand mound and then turned turtle.

“The bus was not speeding but it suddenly wobbled, slammed into something and then fell on its right side,” recounted passenger Sanjoy Sarkar.

With the bus lying on its side, passersby dragged the passengers out through the windows and the windscreen. The injured were taken to three medical centres in Salt Lake and one on the Bypass.

Witnesses blamed the accident on the stone chips and sand being used for repairs spilling on to the road. But S.A. Ahmed, the chairman of Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority of Sector V, pointed an accusing finger at the driver.

“We have sent a team of engineers to probe why the contractors had left the stone chips and sand on the side of the road. But this is a common occurrence and the driver should have been more careful,” said Ahmed.

Far from the blame game, Mrityunjay Halder was nursing injuries to his head, left hand and left leg. The 32-year-old firefighting engineer with Bengal Unitech Universal would go home every evening sitting next to Chinmoy.

“I was sitting behind the bus door on the left chatting with Chinmoy as usual, when suddenly the bus skidded and overturned. I blanked out…. I cannot imagine that the person with whom I used to go home every day, with whom I was talking just moments ago is no more with us,” mumbled the resident of Patuli from his hospital bed.

Sameer Bahri, the executive vice-president of Bengal Unitech Universal, said: “It is an unfortunate incident. The company will provide all support to the family of the deceased and for the medical treatment of the injured.”