Bus accident near Howrah Bridge claims 2 lives

KOLKATA: An early morning bus accident on Wednesday near the Howrah Bridge claimed the lives of two people even as 11 others were seriously injured. The police said that the accident took place around 4.25 am when a minibus on the Metiabruz-Howrah route was making its first trip of the day from Howrah station. The bus – carrying 16 passengers - had got off the Howrah Bridge and had reached the edge of the Brabourne Road Flyover near the Tillotoma statue when it first swerved towards the right, hit the iron-and-mortar railing and then overturned on its right.All the victims were rushed to the Medical College. Among the injured were five females and three children aged between the age of 3 years and 11 years. Almost all the passengers were Metiabruz-Garden Reach residents. The worst suffers were those sitting next to the driver’s seat with the glass on this side completely shattered. The police has seized the bike even as the driver has been identified.
Police said that the identity of the two victims – aged roughly around 35 and 30 years – could not be established till late evening. While locals who rushed to the rescue claimed that the deceased involve the conductor, the bus owner has refused to identify him. “We had kept a few passengers under observation but we can begin releasing them any time now,” said a doctor at the Medical College. “We were sleeping on the adjoining foothpath when there was a loud noise of screeching, followed by a sound resembling a blast. The bus seemed to be swerving before overturning. The trapped passengers began to shout for help. We rushed in even as cops from adjoining areas too arrived within the next 10 minutes,” claimed Rajkumar, a daily wage earner who witnessed the accident.
Police suggested they would carry out a detailed mechanical test of the bus to ascertain how such a major accident. “We are checking CCTV footage to ascertain if the bus was racing with any other bus. The case has been transferred to the fatal squad of traffic police after being originally registered at the Burrabazar police station. The analysis of the two month long Safe Drive Save Life campaign has revealed that besides bikes, the biggest traffic violators in the city have been the buses. Interestingly, among them, the worst offenders have been the government and minibuses. Police said a drive – along with PVD – has been planned from against such offending buses.
According to Lalbazar, about 25 percent of all accidents have involved buses this year. Amongst these incidents, government buses have contributed to roughly around 20 percent and minibuses another 20 percent. “The mini-buses have been involved in less number of fatal accidents, but remains one of the biggest violators on road that has often led to several non-fatal accidents. Rarely do they follow bus lanes or stop at designated stops. We are in touch with the transport department to find ways to regulate them,” said a top official.