VALPOI: Twenty-nine passengers, mostly students, were injured when a speeding minibus rammed a tree at Deuswada-Hivre in Sattari taluka Monday morning.
While five passengers had to be admitted to the Goa Medical College and hospital, Bambolim, the other 24 passengers were discharged after receiving medical treatment at the Valpoi Community Health Centre. The bus driver, who happened to be a college student, and the bus owner have been arrested.
According to Valpoi PI Sanjay Dalvi, the accident occurred at about 7.15 am when the driver of the minibus (GA-01-U-7708), carrying about 35 passengers from Hivre-Sattari, lost control of the vehicle and rammed a huge tree.
Police informed that the driver of the bus, 21-year-old Prathamesh Pangam, a college student, and the bus owner, Tulsidas Appa Swar, both residents of Thane-Sattari, were arrested in the afternoon under Sections 279, 336, 337, 338 IPC and Sections 3, 134(a)(b) 180 and 188 the Motor Vehicles Act.
All 29 injured were rushed to the Valpoi CHC in a 108 ambulance and a CHC ambulance.
PI Dalvi informed that those referred to GMC Hospital were Sachin Gaonkar (17), Rohit Gaonkar (13), Shilpa Gaonkar (22), Gauri Gaonkar (17) and Ranjana Kodalkar (20).
Among the 29 injured passengers, 18 were students of various schools in Valpoi and Poriem, besides the Sanquelim College.
The injured have been identified as Shilpa Gaonkar (22), Sachin Gaonkar (17), Rohit Gaonkar (13), Sumati Gaonkar (50), Yogita Chikalkar (19), Vasant Gawas (35), Satyawan Gawas (34), Bharat Goankar (23), Isha Gawas (12), Trupti Gaonkar (14), Gauri Gaonkar (17), Premanand Sadekar (14), Sneha Gawas (13), Yeshwant Majik (20), Pradnya Gaonkar (19), Asmita Gaonkar (17), Manisha Gaonkar (19), Mahindra Kodalkar (14), Vinanti Gaonkar (22), Lakshmi Chorlekar (50), Draupadi Sadekar (49), Viraj Gaonkar (11), Ranjana Kodalkar (20), Krushna Naik (8), Kirti Paryekar (19), Reema Gaonkar (22), Suparna Majik (22), Rutuja Gaonkar (11) and Bandisha Gaonkar (10).
Opposition Leader Pratapsing Rane later visited the Valpoi CHC and enquired about the condition of those injured.
