Truck rams into bus on E-way, killing 4
A speeding truck rammed into a stationary bus on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, killing four, in the early hours on Tuesday. Two of the deceased belonged to Mulund and the others to Thane and Navi Mumbai.
The bus, belonging to Ganesh Travels from Worli, had passengers headed for Kolhapur on Jyotiba pilgrimage. It was parked on a service lane for repairs when the accident occurred, around 1.30 am. Additional DGP (highways) Vijay Kamble said barring the four deceased, who were standing behind the bus and so were crushed by the truck, the passengers were lucky to have escaped unhurt since they were inside the bus.
The police said that prima facie it appeared that the truck driver, who fled the scene, had dozed off behind the wheel or could have been driving drunk.
Kamble said the accident was similar to the March 28 mishap on the highway, in which 27 members of a marriage party were killed. Most of them were standing or seated around their bus, when a truck rammed into the vehicle.
The police said the bus suffered a tyre burst close to Bhatan Tunnel near Khalapur toll post around 1.15 am. The driver parked it on the left service lane and, along with a cleaner, got down to replace the tyre. A few passengers, too, got off the bus. The four deceased were standing behind the bus, and the others along the sides.
“The bus was parked in a safe zone. Its reflectors were also on. It appears the truck driver could not make out the lane in which he was driving and also did not see the bus’s lights,” Kamble said.
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