A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the driver of a BEST bus involved in a tragic accident in Mumbai that claimed seven lives and injured 43 others, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The accident involving a state-run BEST bus resulted in the death of seven people in Mumbai’s Kurla (West) on Monday night. The accident occurred at 9:50 pm when the bus, reportedly due to brake failure, rammed into multiple vehicles and pedestrians on a busy road.

CCTV footage revealed the red electric bus speeding down the street, first crashing into an autorickshaw. Witnesses described the vehicle swerving uncontrollably for approximately 200 meters before colliding with three cars, pedestrians and even a police vehicle, ultimately coming to a halt against the gates of a residential complex.

Zaid Ahmed, a 26-year-old eyewitness, said he heard a loud noise while leaving for the railway station and rushed to the scene. “The bus hit pedestrians and vehicles. We rescued passengers and transported them to the hospital using another autorickshaw,” he told PTI.

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The injured were rushed to Sion and Kurla Bhabha Hospitals, while the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) is investigating the cause of the incident. A BEST official stated that brake failure might have been responsible for the accident, which involved route number 332 traveling from Kurla Station to Andheri.

The 12-meter-long Olectra electric bus had been leased to BEST just three months ago. Drivers for these vehicles are supplied by private operators and the bus was registered under EVEY Trans in August.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured persons.

In a message on X, Fadnavis announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

The medical expenses of the injured will be covered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, he said. “We stand with the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the CM said.

(With inputs from agencies)