DOHA: Nine of 13 commuters injured in the freaky Mowasalat bus accident at Al Ghanim bus terminus on Sunday were discharged from hospital after treatment for minor injuries yesterday.
Others with fractured legs or shoulder injuries are recuperating in hospital, a source from the state-owned transport company said yesterday. They are believed to be Bangladeshi, Filipino, Nepalese and Indian.
The source said the driver hailed from Ghana and had been working with Mowasalat for about a year. “He is now in police custody and is being investigated.”
The shocking accident happened at around 5pm when the Karwa bus crashed into commuters in the waiting area of the terminus.
A large number of people were waiting for the bus because it was still an Eid holiday. Some of those seriously injured were standing ready to board the bus while it was on its way. The driver accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes which caused the mishap, sources said.
The bus zoomed at high speed, tearing down two steel benches where some victims were sitting and badly damaged the waiting shed.
This was the first time such an accident happened at the terminus since Mowasalat started public bus service eight years ago.
The No 11 bus on the Matar Qadeem area route was one of those running on compressed natural gas which Mowasalat recently launched.
The Peninsula tried to get a statement from Mowasalat on the incident but nobody was available for comment as it was still an Eid holiday, an employee at the Public Relations Department said.
The Peninsula
