Aman Khan admitted to Bhabha hospital

Aman Khan, 24, who works as a helper at a shop in Kapadia Nagar, across from LBS road was returning from Kurla West railway station, along SG Barve road when he saw the bus speeding towards him. "It had already hit an auto-rickshaw and swerved towards me. Before I could react, the bus hit me and I was thrown to the ground. Luckily, I rolled over and saved myself,” he recounted while he's admitted at Bhabha hospital in Kurla West.

Basheera Shaikh

Another victim, Basheera Shaikh, 58, at Kurla’s Bhabha hospital, said she sustained injuries to the back of her head after the speeding bus hit her auto. Shaikh was on her way get sonography and CT scan when her auto was hit from behind. There were five in the auto including the driver. "We later managed to jump off, injuring ourselves. I was lying on the road for some time, and later someone brought us here. One of my gold earrings went missing in the melee,” she added.

Sukharam Paswan, survivor of the accident (right) Injured leg of Sukharam

Sukharam Paswan, a sweet potato vendor, narrowly escaped the bus. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Paswan is a resident of Shankar Mandir in Kurla, where he sells baked sweet potatoes to earn a living. Describing his near-death experience, Paswan said, “If I had been two seconds late in getting out of the way, I wouldn’t have been alive today. The bus hit my sweet potato stall. I consider myself very lucky to be alive. I have minor injuries and 2-3 stitches on my leg.”

Pic/Sameer Abedi

Another shop owner, who requested anonymity, said, “I was in my shop when the incident happened. Around 9.15-9.30 pm, the bus hit a sweet potato stall and then completely crushed a young woman just after hitting the stall. The bus continued. I was about to close my shop and leave when this happened. Luckily, I wasn’t on the road.”

Yasmin Ansari, a Kurla resident

Yasmin Ansari, a Kurla resident, told mid-day, that there’s a municipal school just near the spot of the incident. "These bus drivers drive at high speed even when school children are leaving or going to school. At least the drivers should understand that the lives of schoolchildren are at risk. What happened was very sad, and strict action should be taken against those responsible,” added Ansari.

Pradeep Dive, survivor of the accident

Pradeep Dive, who was standing near the wall that the bus crashed into, said, "I saw the bus coming towards me and immediately ran to the side, which saved my life. Unfortunately, a woman who works at a clinic next to the building was hit by the bus as she came out of the clinic at the last moment. I’m not sure about her condition, but the experience was very traumatic,” Dive is a resident of Buddha Colony.

Mohsin Khan, an auto driver, helped in rescuing the injured

Mohsin Khan, an auto driver, was on his way home when the accident happened. Khan witnessed that bus hitting people and vehicles and immediately halted his auto to check up on survivors. "I was able to take at least seven individuals to Bhabha hospital on the night of the incident. The scene was horrifying, with some people completely crushed under the bus. The road is narrow here. I later learned that the bus had finally collided with the wall of a building. Any sane driver would do the same. If a vehicle goes out of control, any sane driver would look for a safe location to crash the vehicle so that it stops,” added Khan.