More than 30 passengers were injured when a Maharashtra State Road Transport bus lost control on a steep bend between Kothare and Avaklwadi in Shahapur and crashed into a roadside safety wall on Monday morning. A pregnant woman was among the injured, while 17 passengers were admitted to Shahapur Sub-District Hospital for treatment.
The bus was travelling from Kothare towards Shahapur after staying overnight at Kothare. It was carrying approximately 50 to 60 passengers when the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp bend and steep descent on a single-lane road between Kothare and Avaklwadi, according to a report by Loksatta – Thane.
The bus struck the protective wall along the edge of the road and came to a stop. The report said that the driver turned the vehicle towards the right after losing control. Had the bus moved towards the left side, it could have fallen into a gorge, potentially causing a larger accident.
Local residents reached the site after receiving information about the crash and helped transport injured passengers to Shahapur Sub-District Hospital in private vehicles. Seventeen passengers, including 12 women and five men, were receiving treatment there. Most of the other passengers, along with the driver and conductor, reportedly suffered bruises.
The incident occurred on a route that includes a steep descent, a sharp turn and a single-lane section. These physical conditions made the location particularly vulnerable when the driver lost control of the bus. The report did not provide details about the speed of the bus, road-surface conditions, weather, vehicle maintenance or whether any formal technical investigation had begun.
Mansi Shelke, manager of the Shahapur ST depot, said the accident occurred after the driver lost control of the bus. She also said that injured passengers would receive primary financial assistance according to applicable rules.
The reported injury count includes more than 30 passengers, while 17 were specifically identified as hospitalised. The available report does not state whether any passenger suffered life-threatening injuries or provide details about the extent of the injuries. It also does not indicate whether the route was temporarily closed or whether transport services were subsequently restored.
The crash brings attention to the safety demands of regional bus routes serving settlements connected by narrow and hilly roads. For passengers in such areas, state transport services are often a crucial link to larger towns, hospitals, schools and markets. The immediate response in this case came from nearby residents, who used private vehicles to move the injured to hospital.
The Shahapur depot has said that financial assistance will be provided to injured passengers under the applicable rules. Further details about the medical condition of those admitted, the cause of the loss of control and any inspection of the bus or road were not available in the supplied report.
