Mumbai: The death toll in the tragic BEST bus accident in Kurla (West), Mumbai, rose to six as three more victims succumbed to their injuries on Tuesday. A total of 43 people sustained injuries in the incident, which occurred at around 9:30 pm on Monday.

The accident, reportedly caused by a brake failure, involved the BEST bus on route 332, which lost control and collided with pedestrians and multiple vehicles over a 100-meter stretch. The bus finally came to a halt after ramming into an RCC column of the Solomon Building in Buddha Colony.

Three people were declared dead at the scene and taken to Bhabha Hospital, while many others, including a teenage girl, remain in critical condition. Witnesses described the chaotic scene as multiple vehicles, including an autorickshaw and three cars, were damaged.

Zeeshan Ansari, an eyewitness, recounted, "The bus was being driven rashly and suddenly crashed into pedestrians and vehicles. We helped move the injured to the hospital."

Another local resident, Zaid Ahmed, said, "I saw dead bodies and injured people lying in a pool of blood. We worked together to rescue victims."

The driver, identified as Sanjay More, has been detained. Officials confirmed the bus, an electric vehicle from Olectra Greentech, was only three months old and operated by a private contractor under a wet lease.

A forensic team is investigating the accident, and BEST officials have cited challenges in their probe due to the crowd at the site. Heavy police deployment has been made to maintain law and order in the area.