A Kolkata-bound private bus collided with a Howrah-bound one while travelling through Howrah bridge on Thursday morning, leaving at least 10 persons injured.
Police said the injured persons, including the driver of one of the buses, were taken to Howrah District Hospital, from where all except the driver were discharged after treatment.
The incident happened around 9.30am when there was a rush of vehicles through the bridge, which connects Howrah with Kolkata across the Hooghly.
Officers of the traffic department said a bus on route 24B, which plies between Chowbaga and Howrah Maidan, was on its way to Kolkata, while another bus on route 59 that plies between Esplanade and Bakultala (in Howrah) was heading towards Howrah. Suddenly, the bus on route 59 crossed over the central line and entered the Kolkata-bound flank.
“The bus on route 59 crashed straight into the other bus that was coming from the opposite direction,” said an officer in the traffic police.
The driver of the bus on route 24B was trapped in his seat and had to be rescued later. Both the buses have been seized.
The police said the bus on route 59 would undergo a mechanical test to ascertain if the vehicle had developed a mechanical fault or the accident was caused by a human error.
A passenger travelling in one of the buses said he was talking over the phone when suddenly there was a “massive jerk” and the all passengers lost their balance. “We toppled on each other.”
