4 labourers killed, 5 injured as bus rams into roadside shanties in South Goa

PTI

Panaji, May 26

Four labourers were killed and five others critically injured when a private bus rammed into two roadside shanties at an industrial estate in South Goa district, police said on Sunday.

The accident took place at around 11.30 pm on Saturday at the Verna Industrial Estate when the labourers, engaged in road construction work, were sleeping in the shanties, they said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Desai said the bus driver, identified as Bharat Govekar, resident of the nearby Cartolim village, has been taken into custody and is being questioned.

The driver's medical examination confirmed he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, he said.

A labourer claimed the bus driver threatened the other labourers present at the site to kill them if they complained to anyone about the incident.

The bus carrying staff of a private company hit two shanties where labourers were sleeping, a police official said.

"Four labourers died on the spot while five were critically injured and admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital," he said.

The labourers were employed by a contractor, the police said.

A labourer told reporters that the bus rammed into their shanties.

"After the incident, the bus driver threatened to kill us if we complained to anyone. The driver was under the influence of alcohol," claimed Rupender Mathur, whose uncle Ramesh Mathur and brother Anil Mathur were among those killed.

He claimed that medical help reached the spot late due to which there was a delay in taking the victims to the District Hospital in Margao.

Rupender Mathur said he was staying in one of the accident-affected shanties but was saved as he had come out to attend a mobile phone call.

"Three more persons who were out (of the shanties) on mobile phone calls were saved," he said.