A tragic chain collision involving four BEST buses near Azad Nagar Metro Station in Andheri West on Thursday afternoon claimed the life of a 52-year-old bus conductor and caused panic in the busy locality. The accident took place on SV Road between Ambivali Naka and Rajkumar bus stop after a fallen tree led to heavy traffic congestion in the area. According to officials, three Mateshwari-operated buses on Routes 266/32, 242/32 and 249/33 had halted in a queue due to the obstruction. As traffic remained stalled, a PMI electric bus operating on Route 251 from Andheri West towards Versova allegedly rammed into the stationary buses from behind with considerable force.
The deceased conductor was identified as Shekhar Baburao Rawate, who was attached to a Mateshwari bus on Route 266/32. Officials said Rawate was moving between the parked buses when the PMI bus crashed into the line of vehicles, trapping him between two buses during the impact. He suffered severe injuries in the collision, prompting local residents, police personnel and the PMI bus conductor to rush him to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle for emergency treatment. However, doctors examined him upon arrival and declared him dead before treatment at around 1.35 pm. The incident created fear and chaos in Andheri West, with commuters and bystanders gathering at the accident spot.
Eyewitnesses present near the scene stated that the situation escalated within seconds after one of the buses ahead allegedly applied sudden emergency brakes amid the traffic disruption caused by the fallen tree. Drivers of the buses behind reportedly did not get sufficient time to react, resulting in a chain collision involving all four vehicles. Preliminary findings suggest that the driver of the PMI electric bus may not have noticed the conductor crossing in front of the vehicle before the crash. Following the fatal accident, BEST authorities constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the exact sequence of events and determine responsibility. Local police have also registered the incident and initiated a detailed investigation into the collision.