2 killed and 38 hurt as sleeper bus overturns near Nagothane on Mumbai-Goa highway; driver booked for reckless driving

Navi Mumbai: Two passengers, including a woman advocate, were killed and 38 others were injured after a speeding private bus toppled sideways along Mumbai-Goa highway in the Sukeli ghat section near Nagothane in Raigad district in the wee hours of Friday. Nagothane police have booked the driver of the bus of Omkar Tours and Travels, who was also injured in the incident, for causing death by negligence and rash or negligent drivingThe accident, which took place around 2.45am, disrupted the traffic movement towards Goa for around two hours till all injured passengers, some of them critically, were rushed to Nagothane Primary Health Centre, Roha sub-district hospital and MGM Hospital, Kamothe.API Sachin Kulkarni of Nagothane police station identified the deceased as Panvel resident Neelam Vibhute, 40, and Kamothe resident Naeem Shaikh, 33. Vibhute was declared ‘brought dead' at Roha Civil Hospital, and Shaikh at Nagothane Civil Hospital.Kulkarni said, "Neelam Vibhute and her husband Vaibhav (42), who also suffered injuries, were part of a 22-member group heading to Goa for a trip. All the passengers were fast asleep in the sleeper coach bus past midnight, when the bus driver, Hemant Patil (33), a resident of Kankavali in Sindhudurg district, who allegedly driving rashly, lost control over the wheels on the upward gradient in the Sukeli ghat section and the bus toppled sideways. Many passengers got trapped in the bus and sustained injuries." Local villagers rushed to the spot to help police and NGO members in the rescue operation.A police source said that a motorist behind the bus had lodged a complaint on Red Bus app informing about the sleeper coach bus being driven recklessly in the Sukeli ghat and after about 20 minutes, it tipped over. The motorist spoke to some of the injured passengers, who said that they had told the bus driver to slow down, but he ignored their requests, resulting in the fatal accident.Patil, who has been admitted at Alibaug civil hospital, has been booked under relevant sections of BNS for causing death by negligence, rash or negligent driving on a public way that endangers human life or poses a risk of injury to others and act endangering life or personal safety of others, along with Motor Vehicle Acts for dangerous driving, said Kulkarni.