parishioners in other buses pull passengers out of ill-fated bus
33 passengers injured
TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: What should have been a fun and frolic outing to Agonda Beach on May Day instead turned into trauma and tragedy, when a bus driver and 33 parishioners of Our Lady of Rosary Church, Fatorda, were injured as their private school bus fell on its side at Matvemoll-Khola in Canacona.
While the injured passengers were administered first aid at Community Health Centre (CHC) in Chaudi, the bus driver and 25 passengers were referred to Hospicio in Margao and four passengers who sustained serious injured were shifted to GMC Bambolim. Three passengers were discharged after receiving first aid at the Chaudi CHC.
Most of the injured passengers included boys and girls, besides an 84-year-old woman, police told Herald.
According to Canacona police, the 33 injured parishioners were among the 180-odd parishioners of Our Lady of Rosary Church, Fatorda, travelling in five buses for a picnic at Agonda Beach.
The ill-fated bus (GA-08-U-3362) was leading in the front, when the driver, identified as Santan Barbosa, lost control of the vehicle near the Molorem-Khola slope and the bus turned on its side at about 9.45 am.
Sources told Herald that the bus filled with passengers was speeding on the narrow slope of Matvemoll-Khola and the driver’s attempts to slow down the vehicle on noticing the sharp turn backfired. The bus skidded nearly 50 metres down the slope and came to rest near a sharp turn.
The stranded passengers began screaming for help, as fellow parishioners in the other four buses reached to pull them out of the ill-fated bus.
Police teams and a fire brigade, as well a 108 ambulance and an ambulance from the CHC, rushed to the site at about 10.15 am.
Even before ambulances could reach the site, several injured passengers were shifted to CHC Chaudi in the other picnic bus, while the EMRI (108) ambulance made multiple trips to shift the injured to the CHC. Most of the injured passengers sustained bruises all over their bodies, while others also sustained fractures and other injuries.
It was chaotic scene at the CHC with only one doctor on duty, as several other staff including EMRI staff scurried to provide whatever first aid possible to the injured parishioners.
As the injured were shifted one after the other to the CHC, effective medical attention was found wanting as the lone medical officer on duty took some time before examining the injured passengers. The CHC health officer was nowhere to be seen and medical staff claimed that the health officer did not attend to duty on Thursday.
However, the medical staff, which included staff nurses and attendants, quickly assembled together and provided first aid to the injured passengers.
According to sources, some priests accompanying the parishioners advised the group to return home. Some priests from Canacona, including assistant Parish Priest of Chaudi Church Fr Succoro Collaco, besides Canacona Dean Fr Simon of St Anthony’s Church, Galgibaga, also met some injured people at CHC.
While hundreds of people rushed to CHC to visit the injured passengers, Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar was among the first to rush to the CHC to take stock of the situation.
He was heard requesting the visibly distraught patients to remain calm and assured that all possible medical assistance would be provided to them, before they are shifted to Margao or Bambolim
Former Canacona MLA Vijay Poi Khot, several councillors including Simon Rebello, Ajay Bhagat, besides several other prominent residents also rushed to CHC and assisted the understaffed medical staff.
Efforts were on to locate the bus driver, amid reports that he removed the injured passengers from the bus and even helped to shift the injured in another bus and ambulances, despite sustaining multiple injuries.
It was only after a Canacona Police team visited the Hospicio that the driver was identified and his statement was recorded. Canacona PSI Prashal Dessai said the driver got himself admitted and is recovering at the Hospicio.
“Barbosa, who was also injured, got himself admitted at Hospicio. We got his preliminary statement and further inquiry is being conducted. While a case has been registered, further action will be initiated only after recording the statements of the injured and verification of other details in a couple of more days,” PSI Dessai told Herald.
