Four people, including three women, were killed and nine others injured after a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus hit pedestrians while reversing on Monday night in suburban Bhandup (West), a police official said.
The incident occurred around 10 pm on the busy Station Road outside Bhandup (West) railway station. The injured were admitted to a nearby hospital, the official added.
In a message, Sucheta Utale, Public Relations Officer of BEST, said, "The accident occurred outside Bhandup (West) railway station around 10.05 pm." She confirmed that Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), a BEST staff driver, was driving the bus at the time, while Bhagwan Bhau Ghare (47) was on duty as the conductor.
A senior civic official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the accident happened when the driver was reversing the bus at the end point of its route. The bus involved was a wet-leased midi bus hired from Olectra Greentech. Under the wet lease model adopted by BEST, the contractor bears the cost of fuel, driver, and maintenance of the bus.
The bus driver has been detained, and an FIR is being registered against him, the police said.
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X, "Saddened by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Bhandup, Mumbai. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest."
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. In a post on X, he described the accident as "extremely unfortunate" and paid heartfelt tributes to the victims, adding, "The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the legal heirs of the deceased." He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the nine injured.
Earlier this year, mini buses operating on crowded routes connecting Bhandup station to slum-dominated areas near the foothills of Sanjay Gandhi National Park were withdrawn from the BEST fleet. However, due to operational constraints like inadequate turning radius and a shortage of buses, BEST had introduced Olectra-made midi buses on these routes.
Mumbai Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad called for an inquiry into the incident, stating, "This is extremely saddening. Faulty buses, untrained drivers and an administration unwilling to invest in and improve BEST are risking several lives on a daily basis. We demand a thorough inquiry into this incident."
