Mumbai: 20-year-old Afreen Shah left home on Monday to start her first day at a new job, unaware that it would be the last time her father would see her alive.

Afreen was among the seven people killed when the BEST bus rammed into pedestrians and vehicles on SG Barve Road in Kurla (West) on Monday night.

Recalling the last conversation, Abdul Salim Shah, her father said he last spoke to Afreen when she was trying to find an autorickshaw to return home after her workday.

“It was her first day at work at a new company. After work, she reached Kurla railway station, from where she called me at 9.09 pm saying she was not getting an autorickshaw for Shivaji Nagar,” he said.

“I told her to walk towards the highway and get an autorickshaw. But, at 9.54 pm, I got a call from my daughter’s phone, and it was a staffer from Bhabha Hospital,” he added.

Following this, he rushed to the hospital and found Afreen’s body in the casualty ward.

“It was her first day at work, and now I will never get my daughter back,” the distraught father said.

Shah said the government should take some steps to prevent such accidents.

“People in the area are unable to walk on the road. The situation has not changed for so many years. The place is congested because of illegal parking, hawking, metro rail work and other illegal activities. People are unable to walk, and many have lost their dear ones. The government should take strict action on these issues,” he said.

Seven persons died, and 42 sustained injuries and were rushed to various hospitals after being injured in the bus accident. The police have arrested the bus driver and booked him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

(Inputs from PTI)