The driver of the Green Line Bus involved in a horrific accident on Friday morning stated that a mystery child who emerged out of nowhere on the track was the cause of the accident.
To avoid hitting the child, he slammed on the brakes, forcing the bus to slide and crash into the opposite fence. The GL-033 bus stopped just shy of the pillars of the Nagan Chowrangi overpass.
The travelers were terrified after the crash, and several broke the passenger window of the bus to exit because the doors were stuck. Despite minor injuries among the passengers, the bus was removed from the track in half an hour and services resumed as usual.
Abdul Aziz, general manager of operations for Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Ltd, which manages the Green Line, informed the media that the damaged bus will be repaired as all of their buses are adequately insured and have enough spare parts to last at least three years.
He also acknowledged that there are squatters living beneath the Nagan Chowrangi flyover and that they had written to Karachi’s commissioner about the matter.
Aziz added that a similar scenario occurred on the Orange Line track before, when a grown-up obstructed the course of the bus, causing damage.
He stated that the recent event is still being investigated and the buses are fitted with digital video cameras, which should provide insight into the true cause of the accident.
Shahid Taj, the Sir Syed Town police SHO, subsequently confirmed that the accident was caused by a wandering child coming on the bus track, as reported by eyewitnesses as well.
Although several female passengers were injured, the bus driver was also hurt when a crowd gathered to beat him up.
