Mumbai experienced significant traffic delays on the Western Express Highway during the evening rush hour on Monday. A wet-lease BEST bus collided with a private vehicle before crashing into a concrete Metro pillar in Goregaon East. The incident resulted in serious injuries to two passengers aboard the bus. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Onlookers and traffic police personnel rushed the two passengers who were injured—Rajendra Sonawane (58), an employee attached to BEST’s engineering department, and Mangesh Modalekar (57)—to Trauma Care Centre in Jogeshwari East. Eyewitnesses said he lost control while negotiating a right turn beneath the Goregaon flyover near Oberoi Mall.
An official said the two required multiple stitches. Vanrai Police lodged a case of rash and negligent driving against the bus driver following a complaint from the driver of the damaged private vehicle. The impact with the pillar smashed the front cabin of the bus. The accident choked vehicle movement across the critical northern arterial junction for over an hour.
Hospital authorities said both were stabilised, kept under observation, and subsequently discharged late on Monday.