2 dead, 10 injured after BMTC bus brake failure

Two people were killed and 10 others injured after a BMTC bus, which allegedly had a brake failure, rammed into several vehicles at the busy Kottigepalya junction on Monday morning.

Bylappa (43), a biker, was killed on the spot, while Vishwaraday (48) succumbed to injuries at the hospital. The bus knocked them down and dragged them for a few metres before hitting several other vehicles in the vicinity.

The injured include bus passenger Aruna and bikers Abhishek, Nagaraj, Harshith, Nagaraj and Arunakshi, and others. Among the 10 injured, the condition of three is said to be critical.

B R Ravikante Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), inspected the spot and instructed the officials to check whether the brakes of the bus did fail, as claimed by the driver.

A Kamakshipalya traffic police inspector said the accident occurred around 9 am. The bus — moving towards Sumanahalli from Sunkadakatte — rammed into a car from behind at the Srigandhakaval junction. It later hit an autorickshaw and six two-wheelers.

Quick-thinking driver

The quick-thinking driver drove the bus on the side of the stretch where roadwork was going on. This timely action reduced the speed of the bus and averted a further mishap. Even then, the bus crashed into the cars, bikes and an auto.

Had the driver not pulled the bus to the other side, there would have been more casualties. Also, due to Vaikunta Ekadasi, there was a long queue of devotees at the Mutturaya temple near the accident site. Luckily, the bus stopped in the middle, the officer said.

An eyewitness told the police that a large number of people were at the bus stop. The impact was such that the windows of the bus shattered. The passengers also broke the glass in a bid to get out of the bus.

The traffic on the busy road was disrupted for over an hour until the police pulled the bus using a crane. The Kamakshipalya traffic police have detained the bus driver.

‘My complaint was ignored’

Bus driver Venkatesh told the police he had complained to depot officials about the poor condition of the vehicle, but they had not taken him seriously.

Later, the BMTC issued a release, stating that a technical team of the corporation will inspect the bus to ascertain the reason for the accident. Amid reports that
the bus was allowed to be operated despite the driver raising a red flag over its safety, the BMTC said the manager of the depot and the assistant work superintendent
have been suspended pending an inquiry.

“An ex gratia amount of Rs 25,000 will be given to the dependents of each victim for cremation expenses. The medical expenses of those injured will be borne by the BMTC,” the corporation said.