A bus carrying a large group heading to Howrah to attend an engagement ceremony fell on its side at the Dorina crossing on SN Banerjee Road on Sunday afternoon. At least 27 people were injured.
The injured, eight of them minors, were taken to SSKM Hospital in south-central Kolkata. Twelve of them had to be admitted to the hospital and the rest were discharged after treatment.
The bus was carrying around 40 people, said one of the injured.
The minibus, which plies between Park Circus and Bankra in Howrah, was hired by the family of the groom to ferry their relatives to the bride’s place for the engagement.
Police sources said the bus had 203 traffic rule violation cases pending against it.
The bus after the accident on Sunday.
Picture by Gautam BosePassengers and their relatives The Telegraph spoke to said the bus had arrived late to pick up the groom’s relatives from 55 Tiljala Road, in Park Circus, and was speeding to make up for the lost time.
A preliminary inquiry by the police revealed that the front left tyre had burst and the bus fell on its left side, said officers. Many passengers jumped out of the bus but others, including women and at least one child, were trapped.
“I was following the bus on a bike. My mother Asma Begum was on the bus. I saw the bus suddenly fall sideways. I rescued my mother from the bus. She is alright. I have taken her back home,” said Sheikh Sadik.
The groom — Asif Hossain — was in another vehicle. His brother Arif was on the bus and injured.
“The driver lost control and the bus fell on its side,” said Khalid Kamal, whose younger brother Hasan Kamal, 17, was on the bus and fractured a leg.
One of the injured is a nine-year-old child, Sheikh Irshad. “Doctors said my son is out of danger now. But I have not been able to meet my wife till now, who was on the bus with my son and has been injured,” said Irshad’s father, Mohammad Azgar.
A youth who was on the bus recalled the sequence of events leading to the accident.
“I was standing just behind the driver’s seat. People were chatting and laughing. The driver had come a little late to pick us up. He appeared a little drunken, too. The bus was moving at a high speed. As the vehicle approached Esplanade, the driver turned the steering wheel and the vehicle took a sharp turn. The bus lost balance and turned on its left side. I was among those who were standing on the right side of the bus. We jumped out through the windows,” said Sheikh Tasleem.
The bus was lifted back with a wrecker.
The bus being towed away from the Dorina crossing.
Picture by Gautam BoseThe majority of the passengers were not injured, the police said. One of the injured, Munni Begum, received multiple stitches on her head.
The police said on Sunday evening that it was still not clear what caused the accident.
“The tyre burst could be a reason. Or the driver might have suddenly pressed the brakes when the signal turned red and that caused the bus to lose balance. The reason will be known only after a mechanical examination of the bus,” said an officer of the traffic department.
The bus driver fled the spot and he could not be located till late on Sunday evening. A case of rash and negligent driving has been initiated against the driver with New Market police station.
The 203 traffic violation cases that are pending against the minibus include citation cases for jumping signals and violation of the lane driving rule. It was not yet clear whether the bus was being driven by any other driver.
Members of the bride’s family rushed to SSKM Hospital after hearing news of the accident.
The bride’s brother, who went to SSKM Hospital, said: “I am too disturbed to speak.”
