New Delhi, March 25: A speeding tourist bus from Jaipur overturned while taking a sharp turn near Hanuman Mandir in Karol Bagh’s Jhandewalan area here early Wednesday, leading to the death of two passengers and injury to 23 others, police said.
A police officer who was present near the accident site said the bus lost control while negotiating a turn at a roundabout near the Hanuman Mandir, before turning on its head.
He said that he was on traffic duty when and he and his colleagues heard a loud noise and a cloud of dust near the roundabout.
“We rushed to the spot and saw people were crying for help. There was no emergency exit in the bus. Several people were trying to break the glass windows in a desperate move to come out. The bus was headed towards Mori Gate,” the officer said.
The owner of the bus claimed that the driver lost control of the bus while saving an autorickshaw and a speeding motorcycle.
A rescue operation was launched immediately, and police teams present there took help from a JCB driver to help lift the bus.
A PCR call also alerted the Karol Bagh Police Station, with the caller saying that several passengers were trapped inside a bus following an accident.
The Delhi-bound bus had around 30 passengers on board, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said in a statement.
The Delhi Fire Services also received a call about the incident at 1.10 am.
Gokul, an eyewitness, said, “Thank god, a police picket was recently installed there to divert traffic. Due to police presence, a big incident was averted.”
A team led by the Karol Bagh SHO, Delhi Fire Services personnel, picket staff and night patrolling team rushed to the spot and pulled out the trapped passengers with the help of locals, he said.
Around 10 injured were rushed to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and later discharged, 12 were taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and one to Lady Hardinge Medical College, the police said.
Two passengers, both men, succumbed to injuries at RML Hospital, the officer said.
The deceased were identified as Shehbaj Alam, 30, a resident of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, and Mahesh, 22, from UP’s Bareilly, he said.
The bus driver, Pankaj Kumar, 26, a resident of Rajasthan’s Alwar, is undergoing treatment at RML Hospital.
Pankaj Kumar has been booked under sections 281 (rash driving), 125 (endangering life or personal safety of others), and 106 (causing death by negligence) at Karol Bagh police station. Police are also checking if the driver was under the influence of liquor.
“Further investigation is underway, and details of the injured are being collected from the hospitals. Necessary legal action will be taken against the driver following completion of the inquiry,” the officer said.
Another eyewitness claimed that the bus was speeding.
“The bus overturned while saving an autorickshaw,” said Nirmal, who was headed to New Delhi from Uttam Nagar.
Visuals from the spot showed shattered glass and passengers’ belongings strewn across the road. The bus suffered extensive damage with twisted frames and broken window panels.
Meanwhile, RML Hospital, in a statement, said it received a call about a road accident around 1.10 am in Karol Bagh.
“The Disaster Management SOP at Dr RML Hospital was promptly activated by 1:15 am in coordination with emergency services. A total of 15 patients were received in the Emergency Department at around 2 am. Two male patients were brought dead. These two bodies were sent to the mortuary following proper medico-legal documentation,” it said.
According to the statement, 13 patients — three of them women — were in semi-critical condition.
They were initially stabilised in the Emergency Department and were referred to the Surgery Department for further definitive management, it said.
Ajai Chaudhary, the owner of Shakti Bus, said the driver — who sustained a head injury — told him that while driving towards Mori Gate, an auto and a motorcycle travelling at a high speed suddenly came in front of the bus. (PTI)
