VASCO
A bus conductor was killed while about 28 passengers were injured on Thursday evening when a minibus travelling from Verna to Vasco overturned at the Queeny Nagar junction on the Verna highway.
The bus, reportedly packed beyond its capacity with workers from the Verna Industrial Estate, toppled near the junction after the driver allegedly lost control while speeding over a dug-up road stretch.
Thirteen injured passengers are undergoing treatment at the Chicalim Sub District Hospital, while others were shifted to the Cansaulim Primary Health Centre.
A passenger, Sonam Namshekar, who is under treatment at Chicalim hospital, recounted the horrific experience.
“The bus was moving at high speed and was packed beyond capacity. The driver braked suddenly, and the next thing we knew, the bus had toppled near Queeny Nagar,” she said.
The mishap triggered a major traffic jam along the busy four-lane highway as bystanders rushed to assist the injured. Traffic on the Verna-Vasco route was affected and motorists were asked to take Cortalim“Chicalim route to reach Vasco and Dabolim Airport.
Sources revealed that the bus was so overcrowded that its door remained open, forcing conductor Shiva Madar, a resident of Birla, to stand on the footboard.
“The number of injured passengers could be as many as 28. The conductor was standing at the open door due to the overcrowded condition of the bus,” said a source at the site.
Cortalim MLA Anton Vas, who visited the accident spot, confirmed the death of the conductor and criticised the bus operator for negligence.
“I have directed the police to investigate the matter and take action against the bus owner in case the vehicle was overloaded, and human lives were put at risk,” Vas stated.
