Maharashtra: Five killed in bus-tractor collision on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The bus that turned turtle being lifted by a crane

A private luxury bus with over 50 passengers travelling from Dombivli to Pandharpur for a pilgrimage collided with a tractor on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway late at night. The collision caused the bus to roll over twice, crash through the railing and fall 10 metres into the valley.

At the time of the accident, passengers were awake and singing bhajans, but they were thrown into chaos as they fell on one another and were later rescued by locals and the police.

Tragically, five people lost their lives - two from the tractor and three passengers from the bus. The incident is under investigation to determine its cause, and the Panvel city police have filed charges against the tractor driver while continuing their inquiry.

The banged up bus; Police help rescue the survivors; The bus and tractor

Vivek Pansare, deputy commissioner of police, Panvel Division said, "The incident occurred between 12.30 am and 12.45 am within the jurisdiction of the Panvel city police station. The tractor was driven by 28-year-old Parvez Salauddin Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh, who was travelling in the first lane toward Pune, despite being in a no-entry zone. Meanwhile, Sanjay Patil, 54, was driving the Jayshri Travel bus. While attempting to overtake the tractor at a high speed, the bus driver lost control and the vehicle rammed into the tractor from behind, dragging it for about 100 feet and causing it to split in two. The bus then crashed through a railing, plunging 10 to 15 feet down and overturning onto its side."

The two people on the tractor, Parvez Salauddin Ahmed and the other unknown person, died on the spot.

"Three of the passengers in the bus - Gurunath Babu Patil, 70; Ramdas Narayan Mukadam, 70; and Hansabai Hari Patil died on the spot. While the other injured include Baburao Dharma Bhoir, 70; Mama Pogaya Bhoir, 70; Ganpat Jogya Mukadam, 70; Sanjay Bapurao Patil, 63; and Suman Salunkhe, 60; suffered serious injuries and 38 people suffered minor injuries and five passengers are safe without treatment," said an official.

Survivors and witnesses

A survivor Satyavan Krishna Gaikar, 55, shared his experience after changing buses at a petrol pump a few kilometres away. "For over 25 years, we've been traveling to Pandharpur for Ekadashi. Typically, three to four buses leave from Dombivli's Gesar Gaon. We met at 8 pm and departed at 11 pm. I was initially on the bus that met with the accident. This tradition has been passed down through generations."

"On Monday, we left Dombivli and stopped at a petrol pump in Dahisar near Shil-phata, where about 10 to 12 people were waiting to board. We put up banners and performed a puja to bless the journey. I had left my tiffin with chapatis on another bus, so I went there instead. After getting onto the expressway, we noticed a bus had overturned. Realising it was our own people, we stopped to assist with the rescue operation," he added.

Dayanand Bhoir, a survivor seated at the front of the bus, said, "After refuelling, we started singing bhajans. Suddenly, the bus collided with a tractor ahead. As the bhajans played, all passengers were awake and we fell on each other. The bus, moving slowly, turned over into the valley. Four or five people fell on me, and I screamed to get out. Once they stood up, we escaped through the broken front glass. Thankfully, we were safe as we had sung bhajans."

Gurunath Sathelkar from the Help Foundation, who arrived with 20 to 25 people for the rescue operation, said, "We received a call around 12.54 am and quickly reached the scene. We rescued most passengers, removed two bodies from the bus, and transported the survivors to MGM Hospital."

The Panvel City police have booked the tractor driver under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and Motor Vehicles Act. They told mid-day that the investigation into the mishap is underway.

50
Total No. of passengers in the bus