Cardiac arrest-hit bus driver knocks down seven in Old Delhi

Seven pedestrians were knocked down by a city bus that went out of control in Old Delhi area on Friday when the driver suffered a cardiac arrest. Two of the pedestrians died, as did the driver, police said.

The incident occurred around 2.15 p.m. near Kotwali police station, close to the crowded Chandni Chowk area in the walled city, a police official said.

Of the pedestrians, Keshu Prashad, 55, whose face was smashed in the incident, and Suraj, 21, who was crushed under the wheel, died on the spot. Five others -- Santosh Kumar, 19, his brother Mahender Kumar, 24, Rajesh Kurma, 45, Surender, 30, and Raj Kishore, 22 -- were left injured.

Bus driver Wajid Ali, 40, a resident of east Delhi, who was rushed to Sushruta Trauma Centre was declared dead due to cardiac arrest.

"We received five patients, two of them were brought dead," S.M. Basna, chief medical officer of Sushruta Trauma Centre, told IANS.

Basna said that two of the injured are brothers.

Three other injured persons were taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, where one of them, Suraj, was declared brought dead, a police official said.

Police said the bus was empty and the driver was taking a U-turn when he suffered the cardiac arrest and lost control over the steering wheel.

"The bus while taking U-turn after the trip rammed into a truck before crashing into the divider," a police official said.

The cluster bus, or the organge-coloured long bus, run under Delhi Integrated Multi-model Transit System (DIMTS), was on the "end of its trip" .

"The bus was on the end of its trip. The driver had cardiac arrest and fell onto the steering wheel, causing the accident," DIMTS CEO Kapil Mehra told IANS.

Mehra said the bus registration No. DL1TC 6908, runs on route number 419, between Ambedkar Nagar and Old Delhi Railway Station.

According to witnesses, the bus was taking a U-turn when it suddenly went out of control and rammed into a few vehicles before hitting the divider.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai has ordered probe into the incident.

"Transport minister Gopal Rai (to) probe into DTC bus (sic) running over five people at Chandni Chowk. DC Transport asked to submit report in 72 hrs," Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma later tweeted.