An ST bus carrying about 49 passengers collided with a divider on the Ozar-Pimpalgaon highway in Nashik district on Wednesday evening after one of its tyres burst, injuring four to five passengers and damaging electricity poles on the flyover. No fatalities were reported, according to Sakal – Pune.
The bus, operated from the Shirpur depot and travelling towards Nashik, was crossing the flyover near the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) company when the tyre burst. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which struck the central divider and several electricity poles before coming to a stop.
The divider prevented the bus from falling from the flyover, potentially averting a more serious accident. The passengers who sustained injuries were reported to have suffered minor injuries. The source did not provide details about their identities or whether they required hospitalisation.
The crash damaged the bus and the electricity poles installed on the flyover. The collision also disrupted traffic on the Ozar-Pimpalgaon highway for some time, leading to congestion in the area. Police reached the location after receiving information about the incident and worked to restore traffic movement.
Local MLA Dilip Bankar inspected the site after the crash and spoke to passengers. According to the report, Bankar expressed concern about the speed at which long-distance red ST buses operate. The report did not mention any formal statement from the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation or details of an inspection into the vehicle’s mechanical condition.
The incident has again brought attention to the safety risks faced by passengers on busy intercity routes, where a mechanical failure can quickly become dangerous on elevated road sections. In this case, the bus remained on the divider instead of falling from the flyover, while the collision also affected electricity infrastructure located along the structure.
The source report identified the bus by registration number MH 15 JC 8331. It did not state whether the vehicle had undergone a recent fitness inspection, when its tyres were last replaced, or whether the police had registered a case. Further details about the cause of the tyre failure and the next steps in the investigation were not available in the supplied report.
