12 injured after two state transport buses collide near Mumbai

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Twelve passengers, including few students, were injured after a Thane-Bhiwandi State Transport (ST) bus rammed into a Thane-Shahpur ST bus from behind in Thane. The passengers sustained injuries to the head, face and hands and were administered stitches, among the wounded were three teenagers.

Brake fail?

Varun Malshe, 23, who was on his way home after finishing lectures on Day 1 of his CAD course, said, "I was sitting next to the driver and saw a bus stationary on the road ahead of us. The driver applied the brakes immediately, but the bus didn't stop and hit the one in front. I was flung out through the window. Drivers of both buses ran away from the spot within minutes." Malshe sustained injuries to his hand and head.

The three teenagers who sustained injuries were returning home from Thane, where they had gone for polytechnic admission, having completed Std X. "One minute we were laughing and chit-chatting, the next minute we were thrown into the backs of the seats in front of us. We looked at each other and realised we all were bleeding," said Partha Mehta, a student.

"Every day, we make this journey with our parents in autorickshaws. Today, we decided to travel on our own as we needed to get used to the commute, and this happened," Mehta added.

While Mehta got two stitches on his upper lip, his friends Atharva More got two stitches on the head and Prathamesh Wadia, the third teenager sustained a serious nasal fracture and has been admitted to a private hospital.

Another passenger, Ganesh Mahadalkar, who suffered a head injury, said, "It was really pathetic that no one came to help us. We were trying to stop autorickshaws, but all sped away even after seeing us bleeding."

State Transport department's version

Mechanical engineer with ST, Thane, Avinash Kulkarni said, "We gave Rs 500 to each injured for treatment; besides this, we have also given them a form, which they can fill after getting treatment in private hospital and they will get reimbursed."

"We have spoken to both drivers - the one driving the Shahapur bus said he stopped midway because his steering wheel got locked; we checked and it appears to be in a good condition. The Bhiwandi bus driver said he braked hard, but because it was raining, the vehicle failed to stop. Our inquiry is on and the exact reason behind the accident will be known once the investigation is complete."

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