Tragic accident in Mumbai: Drunk passenger causes fatal bus crash

A 27-year-old woman who was injured in a collision with a runaway BEST bus in Mumbai's Lalbaug district died while undergoing treatment at a hospital, police reported on Monday.

The bus driver lost control of his vehicle on Sunday evening when a drunk passenger grabbed the steering wheel during an argument. The bus rammed pedestrians, cars and two-wheelers, injuring ten people, three of them seriously.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, the transport arm of the Mumbai municipal corporation BMC, confirmed the incident. One of the injured persons, Nupura Maniyar, was declared dead at the KEM hospital late Sunday night. Several other injured persons are still at the same facility, police and civic officials said on Monday.

The drunk passenger, Datta Shinde (45), was arrested under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The police official said further investigation was underway. The electric bus on route 66 (from Ballard Pier in South Mumbai) was on its way to Rani Laxmibai Chowk in Sion when the incident occurred near Ganesh Talkies in Lalbaug.

(With contributions from agencies.)