A passenger was killed and 25 others were injured after a Maharashtra State Road Transportation Corporation (MSRTC) bus overturned after hitting a road divider on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Karnala Bird Sanctuary in Panvel on Tuesday evening. The accident happened at around 3.50pm after the bus left the Panvel bus stand and was on its way to Mahad bus depot. The vehicle had 37 passengers on board at the time of the incident.
Smita Jadhav, Panvel Taluka traffic unit, said, “Prima facie, the driver of the bus was at fault. The accident happened due to overspeeding. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which hit the divider and overturned.The police and ambulance reached the spot and rescued the passengers. “The bus has a capacity of 40 passengers and around three seats were vacant,” Jadhav added. The injured, who are said to be out of danger, are admitted to MGM K hospital at Kamothe, Yusuf Meherally Centre and Panvel sub-district Hospital. The deceased has been identified as Diptesh Moreshwar Temkar, 31, a resident of Padam village in Roha taluka of Raigad district.