A speeding school bus crashed into at least half a dozen vehicles at a traffic signal in the busy Bhanganga Square area of Bhopal on Monday, leaving a female doctor dead and injuring six others, police said. The deceased, identified as Ayesha Khan, a BAMS intern at the District Hospital, was riding a scooter and returning home when the accident occurred. She died on the spot, police confirmed.
Eyewitnesses said the bus, which was not carrying students at the time, hurtled down a slope and plowed into vehicles waiting at the traffic signal in Roshanpur, hitting them from behind. They claimed the bus driver shouted "move, move" to alert the drivers ahead, suggesting a possible brake failure. The crash left two other riders, identified as Raees and Firoz, critically injured. Both were initially taken to the state-run Hamidia Hospital before being shifted to a private facility for advanced treatment, police added.
The bus continued forward for a short distance before coming to a halt at an upward road curve, witnesses said. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene, TT Nagar area police inspector Sudhir Arjariya told news agency PTI. "A hunt has been launched to arrest the driver of the empty school bus," Arjariya said, adding that the exact cause of the crash will be determined after the driver's arrest and a mechanical examination of the vehicle.
The accident has raised fresh concerns about road safety and vehicle maintenance standards, with local residents demanding stricter checks on commercial vehicles operating in the area.
(With inputs from PTI)
