20 killed, 40 injured as bus plunges into canal

Kolkata, April 4: At least 20 people were killed, including five women and five children, and 40 others were injured when a privately-owned public transport bus lost control and swerved off the road to plunge into a canal at Kestopur crossing in the northern suburb of Kolkata on Friday afternoon. Among those seriously injured are three children. Their chances of survival are slim, say hospital sources.

The dead were virtually buried underneath mud and slush. Most passengers suffocated to death.

Police are yet to ascertain if the mishap occured due to rash driving or mechanical failure. Locals who witnessed the accident said the overcrowded bus, plying on route 217 B from Babughat in Kolkata to Narayanpur near Baguihati, was busy racing with another bus, a usual practice on Kolkata roads that has taken innumerable lives.

After the accident, the rescue operation was in shambles too, with no cranes available to pullout the bus from the canal.

Besides thousands of curious onlookers blocked the VIP road, severely hampering rescue operations.

Today’s accident is believed to be probably the biggest ever in terms of loss of life and also the ugliest to show how the law enforcing agencies and the transport operators care the least about the safety and security of commuters in the city.

While the bus driver’s fate is unknown, police said the conductor survived the mishap. The bodies of the deceased and injured passengers were taken to several nursing homes in the area including Apex Nursing Home, Uma, Charnock Hospital and Swasti Nursing home.

A huge crowd gathered on both banks of the canal to witness the rescue operations.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, reached the accident spot at around 5 pm and lambasted the CPI(M) Government for its lack of preparedness and safety measures. She also demanded compensation for the victims’ families.

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