Bus shatters iron barricade, plunges 40 feet from bridge to leave trail of blood and death
TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: Twelve Goans and three Rajasthanis who had settled in Goa, were among the 37 killed on Tuesday in a horrific accident as a luxury bus plummeted at least 40 feet off a narrow bridge across the Jagbudi river, at Khed, some 150 kms after Ratnagiri, in a pre-dawn tragedy, transport department officials told media Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the speeding Maharashtra registered bus ironically named ‘Mahakali’ nosedived before toppling on its roof at about 3:30am when most passengers were deep in slumber.
“Among the 15 Goans, eight passengers are of Goan-origin, while four had settled in Mumbai and the remaining three are natives of Rajasthan and settled in Goa,” Transport Director Arun Desai told a late evening press conference, to update the figures of Goan travelers.
A total of 37 passengers, including a Russian national had boarded the ill-fated bus from Margao, Panjim and Mapusa while four other Goan-origin passengers had boarded at Kankavli and Sawantwadi.
Among them a Russian tourist who had boarded from Mapusa suffered head injury, but survived. Vikram Varma, representing the Russian consular authorities in Goa, told Herald that the female victim was shifted to Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.
Desai said that three other passengers – Gaurish Parsekar of Mapusa, Antonette Mendes of Aldona and Shivram Garudi of Vasco, survived but suffered injuries.
While Garudi is ‘normal’, information at the time of going to the press was that Parsekar who suffered a punctured lung was critical but stable and Mendes suffered multiple fractures.
The bus, with a capacity of 51 seats, carried equal number of passengers in addition to two drivers and had an All India permit.
Desai further said that from the passengers killed, three bodies those of a woman and two men are yet to be identified. “The deceased woman is said to be one Maria Fernandes but we are yet to ascertain this. Their relatives in Mumbai will identify the body on Wednesday,” the director said.
The deceased
Patrick Mendes, Aldona
Bento Krito D’Souza, Rawanfond, Margao
Regan Jose Fernandes, Colva
Vivek P Pawar, Quepem
Sr Martina Martins, Guirim
Prakash Talaunekar, Korgao – Pernem
Ajaya Kamat, Ponda
Philipa Fernandes, Sirsai
Of Goan origin but living in Mumbai
Baptist A Fernandes,
George Fernandes, Colvale
Savin Fernandes, Colvale
Antao D’Souza, Colvale
Of Rajasthani origin settled in Goa
Jal Singh
Rudolf Kusava, Nerul
Vijay Kusava, Nerul
