Mumbai (The Hindu): One person died and 14 sustained injuries after a private bus lost control and fell on its side in Vikhroli on Saturday afternoon. According to the Parksite police, the incident occurred around 1.00 p.m. on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road.

Police said the private bus, belonging to an agency named Destiny Travels, was hired by a group of 40 people to ferry them from Malad to Mumbra. “The group was on its way to attend a wedding in Mumbra. The bus driver lost control while taking a sharp right turn at a high speed on a slope a little ahead of the IIT campus gate. It crashed into the divider and toppled over on its left side,” DCP (Zone VII) Sachin Patil said.

Passing motorists who witnessed the accident immediately called the police control room and the information was relayed to the Parksite police, who sent several teams to the spot as well as ambulances. Most of the occupants of the bus had been helped out by eyewitnesses and the others were rescued by the police. All were taken to hospitals in Powai and Vikhroli.

“One of the victims, Imtiaz Sheikh, could not be rescued in time as one of his legs was stuck in the mangled remains of the bus. He was declared dead before admission at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. As he was near the steering wheel, we initially thought he was the driver. However, inquiries with the owner of the travels agency established that he was a manager in the company. He was also part of the wedding party and had arranged the bus for himself and his relatives,” Mr. Patil said.

Meanwhile, police had to arrange for a heavy duty crane to lift the bus and tow it away. Oil from the ruptured fuel tank had also spilled onto the road and sand had to be poured on it to prevent further accidents. In the meantime, local and traffic police diverted traffic through a service road. “It was only after we verified the identities of all injured with the help of the owner of the agency that we realised the driver was missing. He seems to have fled the scene after the accident,” Mr. Patil added.

The driver, identified as Sanoj Nishad, has been booked for causing death and endangering life of others due to rash and negligent driving under the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act, and the police have launched a manhunt for him.