Four dead, nine injured as reversing BEST bus hits pedestrians in Mumbai

Mumbai: At least four people, including three women, lost their lives and nine others were injured after a BEST bus moving in reverse rammed into pedestrians near a railway station in Mumbai on Monday night, police said.

The incident occurred around 10 pm on Station Road in Bhandup (West), a busy stretch that sees heavy pedestrian movement during evening hours. According to the police, the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where four victims were declared dead.

Officials said the bus driver has been detained and a first information report is being registered in connection with the accident.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking said the mishap took place at around 10.05 pm outside Bhandup (West) station. At the time, the bus was being driven by Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), with Bhagwan Bhau Ghare (47) on duty as the conductor.

A senior civic official said the accident happened when the bus was being reversed at the end point of its route. The midi bus involved in the crash was operated under a wet lease arrangement and had been hired from Olectra Greentech. Under this model, the contractor is responsible for providing the driver, fuel and maintenance, the official added.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the incident “extremely unfortunate” and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died. In a post on X, he expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Earlier this year, BEST had withdrawn mini buses from certain crowded routes around Bhandup, particularly those connecting the station to nearby slum areas close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, citing operational difficulties. However, due to a shortage of buses, Olectra-manufactured midi buses were later introduced on some of these routes, despite concerns over limited turning space, officials said.

Mumbai Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad called for a detailed probe into the incident, alleging lapses in safety and operations. Describing the accident as deeply distressing, she said the use of faulty buses, inadequate training of drivers and lack of investment in BEST were putting lives at risk on a daily basis and demanded accountability through a thorough inquiry.

(with inputs from agencies)