Death toll climbs to 4 in BEST bus accident in Mumbai

Mumbai, Dec 30 The death toll in the BEST bus accident in Mumbai has reached four after two more fatalities were confirmed by the officials on Tuesday.

Nine others were injured and are currently in stable condition, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement.

The incident happened late on Monday. The BEST bus went out of control and rammed into people walking along the roadside. According to the officials, the bus ran over between 10 and 12 pedestrians before coming to a halt.

According to the officials, the accident occurred when the driver was trying to reverse the bus at the endpoint of its route.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) runs India's largest public bus fleet.

As soon as the information was received, police, fire department officials and rescue and relief teams reached the spot.

The injured were admitted to the nearest hospitals immediately.

The driver has been identified as Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), while Bhagwan Bhau Ghare (47) was the conductor of the bus.

The deceased are identified as Pranita Sandip Rasam (35), Varsha Sawant (25), Mansi Meghshyam Gurav (49) and Prashant Shinde (53).

Soon after the accident, a large police presence was deployed at the site to manage the situation and regulate traffic in the area.

The incident caused panic in the area, as locals gathered near the spot soon after the accident.

Eyewitnesses at the scene said the bus appeared to be speeding moments before it veered off course and struck pedestrians walking along the road. Police said these claims are being verified as part of the investigation.

Authorities have initiated an inquiry to determine the sequence of events leading to the accident, including whether mechanical failure or other factors were involved.

Investigations are underway.

Further details are awaited.

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