Human error led to mishap: GSRTC chief

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) managing director G R Aloria on Thursday said it was not a mechanical fault, but a human error that led the bus falling into the Narmada canal on Wednesday.

While an inquiry committee, headed by Principal Secretary H K Das, is investigating the matter, GSRTC authorities, which got the bus checked by manufacturers, brushed aside allegations that the vehicle was old or not in running condition. “The bus must be travelling at a speed of 60 kmph. And as the survivors testified, the driver tried to overtake a truck but there was no space. He manoeuvred it to the right. The momentum led the truck hit the bridge wall, and as a result, the axle was broken. The speed regulator was found to be intact,” said Aloria.

Aloria, who visited Bodeli along with other top officials, said they got the wreckage and the accident spot inspected by Ashok Leyland, the bus manufacturer.

Authorities said the death toll could have been much lower if the incident had taken place on a regular road, as there would have been some space for the driver to manoeuvre the vehicle.