CUNCOLIM: The driver of a Paulo bus that met with an accident on Monday midnight succumbed to his injuries at GMC, Bambolim, on Tuesday.
The driver of the interstate but, Basuraj Hiremath, 32, a resident of Kumtha in Karnataka, rammed his vehicle into a railway over-bridge at Balli after it was allegedly stoned.
Eleven passengers who suffered injuries in the accident were discharged from Margao Hospicio Hospital, on Tuesday.
Local sources say that though there were instances of bus stoning at Balli on Monday, the bus driven by Hiremath was not stoned. But Hiremath, who heard of bus stoning, sped the bus to escape a possible stoning; in fear and confusion, the driver took a wrong and unfamiliar lane at Balli and rammed the vehicle into a railway over bridge in full speed.
There were bus stoning incident yesterday but this bus which met with accident was not stoned some sources disclosed that after getting the news if other buses stoned at Cuncolim Driver of the bus for scared and he was speeding the bus to cross Balli lonely road but in this confusion Driver took bus into wrong lane because of which he did not saw the pillar of the over bridge and he banged the bus with full speed. The Driver side of the bus got damaged and those passengers who were seating at the driver side sustain major injuries.
The ill-fated driver was carrying more then 30 passengers, including foreign and domestic tourists, 25 of whom were injured in the accident.
Hiremath was shifted to Hospicio with serious injuries and later to GMC where he succumbed, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police have failed to nab the culprits who stoned three interstate buses at Ballin on Monday, which apparently happened “right under the nose of Cuncolim Police station.”
A similar incident was also reported ten days ago at Karmalghat in Canacona.
Police sources say that the stoning was due to business rivalry between the bus operators and goods transport operators. In the past, transport operators had objected to carrying of goods by interstate buses. Some transporters were involved in the stoning incident on Monday, the sources added.
