At least 37 people were killed and 14 critically injured when a speeding Mumbai-bound private luxury bus from Goa crashed through the iron railings of a bridge on National Highway 17 and plunged 45 feet on the half-dry Jagbudi riverbed near Khed in Ratnagiri district early on Tuesday. The driver,Santaji Kailash Dutt (35),survived with a few scratches on his face as his portion of the bus fell on water. The Khed police have booked him under various sections for rash driving,overspeeding,causing grievous hurt,endangering lives and public safety of others and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. In the FIR,the police said the driver could have fallen asleep around the bend leading to the bridge,though the probe is yet to begin. The police are awaiting the drivers medical reports to check if he had consumed liquor. Seven of those killed were women. A Russian national,Maria Costan (33),was among those injured. The 48-seater bus had a total of 51 passengers at the time of the accident. According to officials,most of the injured were first taken to Khed Civil Hospital,where many of the initial cases were declared dead on arrival. The critically injured were later shifted to B K L Walawankar Hospital,Chiplun,30 km from the accident spot. Most of them suffered head injuries as the bus had turned turtle before it hit the ground, said Praful Godbole,the hospitals chief administrative officer. We have seven seriously injured in our hospital. Along with head injuries,one has suffered serious injuries to the liver and the other also has chest injury, he added. The medical teams took a few hours getting the identity of most patients. The police have recorded statements of some of the passengers who have complained that the driver was negligent. We have few passenger statements suggesting they had asked him to slow down earlier too as he was rash and negligent, said Deepak Pandey,SP Ratnagiri. A survivor,Alam Sayyed Shaikh (31),who suffered head injuries,said,The driver was so rash and boisterous that all of us were worried. We asked him several times to slow down,but he did not pay attention. He drove rashly even on the speed breakers. Death came silently as when the bus rammed the ground,most passengers were sleeping, said another survivor,Vashisht Soni (23).
