An electric DTC rammed into a metro pillar in west Delhi this morning, killing a 45-year-old woman and injuring 23 other passengers, the police said.

The Punjabi Bagh police station got to know about the accident, which took place near Shivaji Park Metro Station, at 7.42 am.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that a DTC electric bus, plying on the route between Mangolpuri and Anand Vihar Bus Terminal, had crashed with a metro pillar,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said.

An auto rickshaw also collided with the bus from behind as the driver applied the brakes suddenly. The accident left 23passengers, including the driver and the conductor, injured. “A 45-year-old female passenger in the bus was declared dead at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, while another passenger, a 55-year-old man, is currently in the ICU,” he said.

As per the police, an FIR under sections 281 (negligent driving) and 125A (endangering the life of others) and section 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered in the matter.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) reported that out of the 23 injured, 13 are receiving treatment at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, while the other 10 were taken to Acharya Bhikshu Hospital in Moti Nagar.

A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) official claimed that “the bus was operating within its designated lane”.

“A motorcyclist and an autorickshaw driver suddenly made a right turn. To avoid an accident, the bus driver (of the DTC electric bus) also took a right turn but it ultimately hit the metro pillar,” the official said. The statements of the bus driver and the conductor have been recorded.

“We are also recording the statements of passengers for more clarity on how the accident took place,” the officer said. The police teams will review the CCTV footage from inside the bus and the surrounding area to understand the sequence of events.

According to the police, the bus driver claimed in his statement that he lost control of the vehicle when a motorcycle and an autorickshaw ahead of him suddenly made a sharp right turn. The driver told the police that he attempted to stop the vehicle to avoid a collision.

A senior police officer mentioned that teams have been formed to investigate the entire incident, and efforts are underway to gather more information about the passengers.

“So far we know that the woman who died in the accident was the sole bread-earner of her family. Her family members are in deep shock,” the officer said. Now, thew police will look if the bus driver was over speeding or if the bus had a technical fault.

(With PTI inputs)