One killed and eight injured after drunk passenger grabs steering wheel of public bus

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At least one person was killed and eight injured after a drunk passenger grabbed the steering wheel of a public bus in India's financial capital.

Two pedestrians were among those hurt after the man forcibly turned the steering wheel of a bus during an altercation with the driver in Mumbai city on Sunday.

The driver lost control and the bus knocked down pedestrians, rammed into cars and motorcycles in the city's Lalbaugh area, which was heavily crowded ahead of the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

One man, identified by police as 45-year-old Datta Murlidhar Shinde, has been taken into custody pending charges.

“When the bus arrived at the location, a drunk passenger pulled the bus driver from the steering wheel due to which the driver lost control,” said a spokesperson for Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport, a public utility.

A 27-year-old woman who suffered chest and abdomen injuries died on Monday, Mid-Day newspaper reported. Another woman is in a critical condition at the hospital, police said.

The driver and the conductor of the bus were also taken to the Kalachowki police station to give statements.

“One person identified as Datta Murlidhar Shinde who was under the influence of alcohol forcibly turned the steering wheel left due to which the bus hit two four-wheelers, a two-wheeler and two pedestrians," a police officer was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

“We have been recording the statements of witnesses and the injured bus driver," senior inspector Sanjay Mohite said.

Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles. The country has one of the highest road death rates in the world, with over 110,000 people killed in road accidents every year.

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