Tue Dec 10 14:02:12 UTC 2024: ## Mumbai BEST Bus Accident Kills Seven, Injures 49

**Mumbai, India** – A BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus accident in Kurla, Mumbai, on Monday night resulted in the deaths of seven people and injuries to 49 others. The incident occurred on Kurla West railway station road in Ambedkar Nagar. The bus, traveling from Kurla station to Andheri, collided with pedestrians, auto-rickshaws, and several cars.

The injured are receiving treatment at Sion and Kurla Bhabha hospitals. The driver, Sanjay More, who had only joined BEST as a contract driver on December 1st, was arrested and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He reportedly confessed to being confused by the bus’s automatic transmission.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation of ₹5 lakh (approximately $6,000 USD) for the families of each victim.

Eyewitnesses, like Zaid Ahmed, described the bus as swerving erratically before the collision. Ahmed helped rescue passengers from an auto-rickshaw and transport them to the hospital.

The three-month-old bus, a 12-meter electric vehicle manufactured by Olectra, was on a wet lease from BEST. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) conducted a technical examination of the bus to determine if mechanical failure contributed to the accident. The RTO will submit their findings to the police. This is the second major bus accident in Maharashtra in recent weeks, with a previous incident resulting in 15 fatalities.

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