At least five people are reported to have been injured when a bus lost control and crashed into waiting passengers at Doha’s crowded central bus station yesterday afternoon.
The incident took place at around 4pm, which is one of the busiest times at the Mowasalat bus station in Old Ghanim near Souq Waqif.
According to eyewitnesses reported in The Peninsula, the driver of the No. 29 bus, which was bound for Al Khor, appeared to lose control as he was driving slowly into the stand, ploughing into concrete crash barriers where some of the injured had been sitting.
One witness told Doha News he was at the nearby old Gold Souq when he heard screams from those in the station shortly after 4pm:
@dohanews @LesleyWalker17 Yes,was at Gold Souk,heard screams runup to see what happened found Karwa Bus ramped ppl waiting at the station
— Neeshad Shafi (@ineeshadvs) March 21, 2015
The injured are reported to include two people of African nationality, two Bangladeshis and one Indian.
The Gulf Times quotes a station supervisor as saying that most of the injured suffered broken legs.
Emergency personnel, including Al Fazaa, Civil Defense and paramedics, were soon on the scene. It is understood that the injured individuals were taken to Hamad General Hospital for treatment.
The driver of the bus was arrested by police at the scene, according to a security guard who saw the crash, the Gulf Times adds.
Third crash
The incident is the second of its kind at the same station in just three months and the third in less than two years. On Dec. 12, 2014, four people were killed and many more injured when a Karwa bus crashed through concrete barriers, striking and running over people who were standing nearby.
As with yesterday’s crash, that incident also took place on a Friday, which is one of the busiest days at the station because many people have the day off and flock there to use public transportation.
And in August 2013, a vehicle drove into a crowd of people at the same station, injuring more than a dozen after the driver apparently lost control of his bus. That driver had apparently hit the bus accelerator instead of the brake.
Some residents have previously criticized the layout of the bus station, arguing that the series of heavy concrete barriers offer insufficient protection to waiting passengers from buses maneuvering the crowded terminus.
Did you see what happened? Thoughts?
