the goan I network
CANACONA
Twenty-seven passengers, including eight children, were injured after a passenger minibus and an oncoming car collided with each other at the foot of the Dumane slope along the Agonda road late Thursday evening.
The mishap took place as the minibus (GA-08-U-0009) loaded with passengers was travelling from Chaudi (Canacona) to Agonda-Khola, while the Wagon-R car (GA-03-P-2108) was in the opposite direction.
With the impact, the bus turned turtle and came to a halt along the left side of the Agonda road and narrowly missing the elevated canal across the road. The car also sustained extensive damages in the mishap.
The stranded passengers began screaming for help and police along with a fire brigade rushed to the site and managed to pull out the injured passengers with great difficulty. The injured were shifted in police jeeps and 108 ambulances to the Canacona Community Health Centre. Fourteen of them sustained serious injuries and were later referred to the Hospicio Hospital at Margao.
Police said the injured hailed from Agonda (16), Khola (6), Tarir-Canacona (2) and one each from Palolem, Colomb and Old Goa. It was not clear how many injured were in the bus and in the car.
The injured were identified as Rakhi Naik Dessai (26), Harsha Naik Gaonkar (46), Reshma Pagi (23), Asten Miranda (25), Valida Miranda (7), Preeti Komarpant (34), Vishaka Pagui (39), Premavati Velip (50), Devraj Pagui (17), Mahendra Kumar (28), Valeen Fernandes (15), Sharda Faldessai (50), Anisha Pagui (25), Roshman Fernandes (11), Shani Afonso (13) and Mahendra Patil (32), all from Agonda, Pooja Velip (20), Divya Velip (20), Sangeeta Gaonkar (25), Olegson Fernandes (12), Omkar Kholkar (12) and Sidhu Velip (5), all from Khola, Mahesh Pagui (3) and Varsha Pagui (25), both from Tarir-Canacona, Abrao Fernandes (11) of Palolem, Akshay Naik (21) of Old Goa and Julie Fernandes (50) of Colomb-Canacona.
A large number of people rushed to the site on hearing the news and police had a tough time controling the situation. Some family members of the injured passengers were hearing shouting against the bus driver, blaming him for the mishap, and later are reported to have created a ruckus at the CHC hospital. Canacona police is investigating the case.
