A sleeper bus from Jaipur overturned near Delhi‘s Karol Bagh, while taking a sharp turn near Hanuman Mandir on early Wednesday, killing two people and injuring 23 others. The accident happened around 1 AM, and the police immediately reached the spot after receiving a PCR call, the officials told PTI news agency. The caller told the police that several passengers were trapped inside a bus after an accident.
Around 30 passengers were onboard the Delhi-bound bus, and according to the officials, the bus was speeding and toppled while taking a turn at a roundabout near the temple.
What Led To The Accident: Drunk Driving, Speeding Bus or Jammed Emergency Doors?
One of the passengers, Mahesh, boarded the bus with his brother Mukesh (30) from Haryana, where they worked together. While Mahesh died in the incident, Mukesh survived, with his brother’s bloodstains on his jeans, telling a tragic story.
“Despite our telling the driver to slow down several times, he did not pay any heed to our requests. He was also drunk. Around 11.30 pm, he stopped near an eatery, telling us to get fresh and take our meals while the bus halted for half an hour,” Mukesh told PTI.
However, the bus ended up being stationed at the rest stop for nearly an hour, during which the driver got drunk, Mukesh claimed, also alleging that the bus had no emergency exits.
However, police have denied that the driver was drunk, citing his MLC report. A senior police officer further said that while there was an emergency exit, the doors had been jammed, and they will carry out a mechanical inspection of the vehicle to see if there were mechanical faults in the bus.
An eyewitness, Gopal, said the bus was moving at high speed before losing balance at the turn, but credited the rapid rescue response for limiting the scale of the tragedy.
How Police Officials Saved Passengers With Swift Response?
A swift and coordinated rescue operation by police personnel, nearby picket staff and locals helped save many lives after a speeding sleeper bus from Jaipur overturned near the revered Hanuman Mandir in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh.
Police personnel stationed at a recently installed nearby picket and booth were among the first responders. “We heard a loud crashing sound followed by a thick cloud of dust and smoke rising near the roundabout,” a police officer who was present at the scene said. He added personnel rushed towards the spot, only to see that a sleeper bus had overturned and the people inside were screaming for help. Some passengers were trying to break open the windows in a desperate bid to escape.
In a crucial move that significantly accelerated the rescue, a JCB machine, which was passing nearby, was immediately stopped by police personnel and pressed into service. The heavy equipment was used to carefully lift one side of the overturned bus to create space for rescuers to reach those trapped underneath and inside.
How Locals Helped Police in Saving People?
Locals played a key role in extracting victims from the mangled vehicle. One of them recounted how he improvised methods to minimise further injuries during the rescue.
“I picked a large stone to break the windows. We placed cloth and bus seats on the sharp edges of the windows so that no one would get hurt while coming out. Then we started pulling passengers out one by one,” he said.
He added that despite the panic, there was a strong sense of urgency and purpose among everyone present. “My only aim was to save as many lives as possible. People were crying, and some were unconscious. We didn’t think twice,” he said.
Eyewitnesses Recall Tragic Accident
An eyewitness said police and fire personnel reached the spot very quickly and immediately began cutting open the rear side of the bus to rescue passengers.
Gokul, who runs a tea stall near the spot, said he abandoned his shop the moment he realised the severity of the accident.
Another local, who identified himself as Raju, said the rescue operation quickly turned into a collective effort involving police, fire personnel and civilians.
Case Filed Against Bus Driver
Police have registered an FIR against the driver of the bus, who also sustained injuries, and further investigation into the incident is underway.
