“A bus that left Kurla Station had its brake failed, and the driver lost control of the bus. The driver got scared, and instead of pressing the brake, he pressed the accelerator and the speed of the bus increased,” Dilip Lande said.

The police have detained the bus driver, 50-year-old Sanjay More, who allegedly claimed a brake failure caused the accident.

However, eyewitnesses alleged that the bus driver was inebriated and could not control the heavy vehicle. Inspector Bharat Jadhav from the state transport department said prima facie, the bus’s brakes are fine. He added that a detailed analysis would be done later.

The bus, which departed from Kurla Station and was en route to Andheri, allegedly lost control over a 100-meter stretch on SG Barve Marg. It crashed into pedestrians, damaged 30-40 vehicles, and collided with the RCC column of the Solomon Building, breaking its compound wall, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Deputy commissioner of police (Zone 5) Ganesh Gawde confirmed the incident, adding, “Four people have died, and 25 others are injured. The injured are being treated at Bhabha Hospital in Kurla and Sion Hospital. An inquiry is underway.”

“The windows of the bus broke on impact. Locals roughed up the driver,” an official told news agency PTI.

The deceased have been identified as Afreen Shah, 19; Anam Shaikh, 20; Kanish Kadri, 55; and Shivam Kashyap, 18.

What eyewitnesses said

Zeeshan Ansari, an eyewitness, said “I was standing in front of Royal Sweets shop along with my friends when I saw a bus being driven rashly. The bus suddenly dashed into multiple vehicles as well as pedestrians and entered Buddha Colony. We rushed and brought out the bus driver.”

“Many people were lying in a pool of blood. A crowd assembled at the spot and started moving the injured to hospital,” Ansari said.

Zaid Ahmed, a 26-year-old resident of the area, said he was leaving his house to go to the railway station when he heard a loud noise. “I ran to the spot and saw a BEST bus had hit pedestrians, other vehicles, including an autorickshaw and three cars. I saw some dead bodies in front of my eyes. We rescued the passengers in the autorickshaw and took them to Bhabha Hospital in another three-wheeler. My friends also helped in providing relief to the injured,” Ahmed recounted.

Other eyewitnesses said the bus, on route 332 from Kurla to Andheri, also rammed into a police vehicle. The bus was a 12-metre long electric vehicle manufactured by Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech, and it had been taken by BEST on wet lease, another official said.

(With inputs from PTI)