Howrah: Driver busy texting dies as bus crashes

HOWRAH: A bus driver, who was busy messaging on his mobile while driving, was killed when the bus keeled over between Panchla and Khalisani on Nh-6 around 10.30am on Monday. The accident left 12 passengers injured. The bus was on its way to Esplanade from Bagnan.
Passengers said the driver was driving after placing both his elbows on the steering wheel while typing messages on his mobile. The bus was moving at a speed of about 30kmph at that time, added the passengers.
"Like other passengers, I, too, was scared to see him drive that way. He was also smoking. We asked him not to drive that way, especially on a national highway. Suddenly, he accelerated and increased the speed to about 50 km," said Achinta Sarkar, a passenger, who was heading to Sector V
Howrah SP Soumya Ray said: "The victim was found dead on the driver's seat. We are ascertaining whether he was the driver. We have conducted campaigns to warn drivers against speaking on or using their mobiles while driving. We will continue to conduct special drives along Nh-6 and Nh-2 from Tuesday."