Mumbai: An eyewitness of the horrific BEST bus crash in Mumbai’s Kurla West area on Monday night said the bus swerved for 200 metres before it rammed into several vehicles and pedestrians, leaving three dead and 17 injured.

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, and 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.

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking Public Relations Officer Sudas Sawant confirmed the incident but did not share details even after more than one-and-half hours had passed.

“Kindly note that complete details of the accident are being collected by the Bus Control Room and will be communicated once available,” he said in a Whatsapp message.

The bus was a 12-metre long electric bus manufactured by Olectra and it had been taken by BEST on a wet lease, another official said.

He pointed out that the drivers of such buses are supplied by the private operator.

“The bus is just three months old. It was registered on August 20 this year in the name of a company called EVEY Trans,” a Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO) official said. (with PTI inputs)