Ponda: Five passengers sustained minor injuries after a Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) bus veered off the road and crashed into bushes and a hill slope near the Farmagudi police outpost on the Ponda-Panaji highway on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Mardol Police, the bus, driven by Sagun Pandurang Shetkar (34) of Poriem, Sattari, was travelling from Bicholim to Ponda when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a roadside tree.
The injured passengers include Shrusti Mahesh Naik (20) of Durbhat, Damodar Vishnu Gaude (70) of Bandora, Shobha Gawas (52) of Durbhat, Rina Nadkarni (49) of Khandepar and Anushka Pradeep Naik (19) of Bandora. All were treated at the Sub-District Hospital, Ponda, and later discharged.
The accident has once again raised concerns over the maintenance of Kadamba buses.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the bus involved had severely worn-out tyres with little tread remaining, raising serious questions about passenger safety and the roadworthiness of the state-run fleet.
Commuters urged KTC to conduct immediate inspections and replace unfit tyres, alleging that poor maintenance could be a contributing factor in such accidents.
Police have registered a case, and the exact cause of the accident is under investigation.
