Mumbai BEST bus crash kills 65-year-old, injures seven on Sion Panvel Highway
A 65-year-old man was killed and seven others injured after a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus crashed into a roadside divider in Mumbai's Mankhurd area on Monday morning.
The accident occurred around 9:14 am on the Sion Panvel Highway, opposite Vishwakarma Hospital. The bus, numbered 501, was travelling on the route when it hit the divider.
The deceased has been identified as Bhaskar Raosaheb Pande (65), who was declared dead on arrival at Rajawadi Hospital, according to Dr. Heero, the medical officer at the hospital. Five other injured persons are undergoing treatment there.
The injured admitted to Rajawadi Hospital include Shivmangal Maity (42), Ganesh Patel (24), Ata Waghela (43), Rajesh Varugamina (35), and Ankita Jadhav (22). The bus conductor, Vaibhav Waghmare (41), and the driver, Banvari Shriram Prasad Sharma (51), received treatment and are reported to be stable.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed that at least 10 injured persons were taken to Rajawadi and Govandi Shatabdi hospitals. The exact number of casualties may vary as some injured sought treatment privately.
This is the second fatal accident involving a BEST bus in the last 20 days. On an earlier occasion, a bus lost control near Kotwal Garden in Dadar West, resulting in one death and three injuries. The repeated incidents have raised concerns about the safety of BEST bus operations in the city.
Authorities are investigating the cause of Monday's crash. Preliminary reports suggest possible brake failure or driver error, but no official statement has been released.
