4 min readMumbaiDec 10, 2024 10:00 PM IST
First published on: Dec 10, 2024 at 04:39 PM IST
“I was in a shared auto with three others, including the driver, when the bus hit us from behind. I was sitting on the edge and was thrown out,” said Basheera Shaikh, a teacher at a private school in Charni Road.
Shaikh was among those injured in the Kurla accident on Monday night which killed seven people after a a BEST bus driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle in a congested marketplace near Kurla railway station on Monday night, ramming pedestrians and vehicles. The bus eventually came to a halt after crashing into a pillar of Solomon Residency, breaking through the compound wall.
Eyewitnesses said the bus was speeding through a narrow lane crowded with street vendors and pedestrians. The driver reportedly attempted to flee but was apprehended by locals and is now in police custody.
The injured individuals were first brought to the nearest Bhabha Hospital and then later were disbursed to different hospitals which included Sion Hospital, Habib Hospital, Criticare Asia and Seven Hills Hospital.
Shaikh was returning from her from work late, after preparations for her school’s annual function, when she took the shared autorickshaw which was hit by the bus. “The auto was completely destroyed,” she said.
Shaikh sustained minor injuries and claimed that her gold earrings went missing during the incident, possibly stolen in the chaos. Mohammed Sajid, who was attending a wedding in the area with friends and family, described how he and three companions were walking along the roadside when the bus struck them. “We were separated in different directions and only met later at the hospital,” said Sajid.
One of Sajid’s companions, Injemam Shaikh, suffered a calf injury and was brought to the hospital. Although conscious, he appeared disoriented and unable to recall the details of the accident due to trauma.
Mehtab Shaikh, a 22-year-old graduate, was critically injured in the accident. He was preparing for a job interview scheduled for Tuesday. Mehtab, who lived with his aunt in Kurla for the past two years, was attending the same wedding when he was hit. Mehtab sustained severe head injuries and was initially treated at Bhabha Hospital. His family later shifted him to Sion Hospital, stating inadequate care. “There was chaos at Bhabha Hospital. The doctors didn’t attend to him properly, and we even had to wait 30-40 minutes for an ambulance,” said his aunt, Mehatarun Shaikh.
Anil Shah, an autorickshaw driver from Vile Parle, another injured, had come to Kurla after dropping a passenger at the airport and was waiting for another ride on LBS Road when his vehicle was hit by the bus. Shah suffered severe injuries to his abdomen and left knee. He borrowed a phone from a bystander to call his brother, Manoj Shah, for help but lost consciousness shortly after due to blood loss.
Manoj recounted the distressing call. “He said, ‘Save me, I’ll die, come fast.’ An hour earlier, he had told me he would be in Kurla. We rushed to find him,” said Manoj. Shah, who lives with his brother and nephew in Mumbai and is originally from Bihar.
Another injured, Rehmunissa, was shopping in the Kurla market with her family when the bus struck them. Her four-year-old daughter, Muskat Khan, along with her parents, Fazlu Rehman and Ajamtum Shaikh, were also critically injured. “We were shopping like any other day. We saw one bus pass by and waited. Then this bus came at high speed, and it all happened,” said Rehmunissa, who sustained minor injuries.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), those injured in the accident were admitted to various hospitals across the city. (Express Photo) 
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