Nine pedestrians hurt after drunk man grabs steering wheel of Mumbai's BEST bus
In addition to people, the bus also hit two bikes and a car, before the driver was able to control.
Nine pedestrians were injured in Mumbai's Lalbaugh area by a BEST bus that lost control after a drunk passenger grabbed the steering wheel and destabilised the vehicle after an argument with the bus driver.
In addition to pedestrians, the bus also hit other cars and two-wheelers before the driver was able to control the vehicle. Two bikes and a car were among the vehicles damaged.
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The incident occurred inside an electric bus of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the transport wing of the city's civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The bus on Route 66 was going from Ballard Pier in south Mumbai to Rani Laxmibai Chowk in Sion.
A drunk passenger in an inebriated state got into an argument with the bus driver and the verbal duel later escalated. As the bus approached Ganesh Talkies near Lalbaugh, he grabbed the steering wheel and threw the vehicle off balance, an official from Kalachowki police station told news agency PTI.
The police have taken the drunk passenger into custody and further investigation into the incident is underway, the official added.
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All the injured people have been admitted to KEM hospital in the city, said Public Relations Officer from BEST. Two women among the injured are reported to be in serious medical condition.
Recent bus accidents in Mumbai
Five people were dead and 46 were injured when a private bus carrying 54 people crashed into a tractor and fell into a ditch near Mumbai-Pune Expressway on July 17. Chief minister Eknath Shinde announced ₹5 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured.
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In another accident last week on the Old Pune-Mumbai highway in Bopodi, a 38-year-old woman was killed and eight were injured after a bus rammed into an SUV and a two-wheeler. When the bus came near Chikhalwadi, in an attempt to save the motorcyclist, the bus entered another lane. This caused the bus to crash head-on into a car and another motorcycle before finally stopping after hitting a metro pillar.