Door jammed, 35 passengers stuck in Goa-Bengaluru bus for 2 hours

BENGALURU: It was a harrowing experience for over 35 passengers, who were travelling onboard a private Volvo bus from Goa to Bengaluru, on Saturday night. The passengers were stuck inside the bus, which belongs to Sea Bird Travels, for over two hours after the bus’s only door got jammed when the bus collided with a truck in the Western Ghats. As the emergency exit too was sealed, the passengers had no option but to stay inside the vehicle.

The accident took place around 25 km from Ankola in North Karnataka around 1 am. The passengers alleged that the bus, which was scheduled to leave Goa at 10 pm, left only around 10.30 pm, and from the start, the bus driver was driving rashly. Though several passengers requested the driver, he refused to reduce the speed.

A city-based musician, Mr Arun Sivag, was also on the bus. “When the driver refused to reduce speed, I called up the company’s customer care and they said that they will talk to the driver to slow down. But he never did. I was going to the back of the bus to check my luggage when I heard a deafening bang. I saw people flying off their seats. It took us a while to realise that the bus had been involved in an accident. I asked those sitting on the window seat to use the hammer to break open the glass, but it was missing. We tried to open the emergency door, but it was sealed.”

The passengers cried for help and managed to stop a few truck drivers who broke the windowpanes from outside with hammers and evacuated the passengers. When the passengers called the travel agency, no one arrived for help. The passengers begged with a few private buses, and around 25 of them sat on the floor of the bus and reached Hubballi around 6 am on Sunday. “A Sea Bird Travels Bus picked us up a few hours later. When we complained to the company authorities at Anand Rao Circle, they said, ‘We can’t do anything. Accidents happen,’” said another passenger.

Transport Commissioner Ramegowda said, “I am not aware of any such incident. As the matter has been reported to me, we will initiate an inquiry against the travel agency.”