18 hurt as DIMTS bus climbs divider, crashes into pole

The bus rammed an advertising pole after going atop the divider.

At least 18 people, including three women and a child, were injured when a Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System’s (DIMTS’s) cluster bus climbed a road divider and crashed into a signage unipole in Rajouri Garden before coming to a halt, on Thursday morning. The driver and the bus conductor were also among the injured, the police said.

Many of the passengers reportedly suffered fractures, with one of them losing a tooth.

A DIMTS official, asking not to be named, said six of the injured passengers were being treated at the ESIC hospital and the bus driver at Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, while 11 of them were discharged after first aid.

Deputy commissioner of police (west) Vichitra Veer said that they were informed at 11.40am about the incident. “A total of 18 people, including the driver and conductor) were injured in the road accident. Of them, 15 were admitted to ESIC hospital in Basai Darapur while the other three were taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital. No fatal injuries were reported. The fire brigade and police vans were available at the accident spot for help and evacuation,” said Veer.

The police registered a case under relevant sections after an inspection of the scene of the incident. “The reason for the accident will be established based on the report of the crime team and a mechanical inspection of the vehicle,” the DCP said.

The bus, bearing registration number DL1PD 6164, was plying on route number 567/22 from Sarai Kale Khan to Qamruddin Nagar. “The speed of the bus at the time of the accident was 29kmph. We are trying to get CCTV footage related to the accident for further examination. The bus was towed away from the spot around 3pm,” the DIMTS official said.

A police officer said that the accident could have been caused by the driver planning to take the Rajouri Garden flyover, which has a height barrier, and then changing the direction upon noticing it. “Prima facie, it appears that the bus driver took the bus to the wrong route and his confusion led to the accident,” the officer said.

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