Criminal Court remand driver of bus involved in accident

Criminal Court on late Wednesday remanded the driver of the bus that was involved in an accident that claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl, for a period of seven days.

The collision took place on Tuesday in reclaimed suburb Hulhumale. According to reports, the victim was with her mother on the motorcycle, driving along the road Nirolhu Magu towards the highway linking Hulhumale to Sinamale' Bridge, en route to Hulhumale.

Onlookers claim that the bus hit the motorcycle from behind, causing the young girl to be thrown off. She suffered severe injuries to the head and was pronounced dead upon arrival at Tree Top Hospital. Her mother did not sustain any serious injuries and was taken to Hulhumale' Hospital.

The driver of the bus was a 54-year-old local, who was arrested following the accident.

Police revealed that the driver did not stop the bus despite the collision and that the vehicle was intercepted at the U-turn on the highway.

Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), which operates bus services, claimed that the driver, which collided with a motorcycle on Tuesday night, was unaware that the accident took place.

An official from MTCC stated that the Police were conducting a forensic investigation of the bus, and claimed that so far, there were no issues identified in relation to the bus.

"If the vehicles collided and caused an accident of this extent, then there must be marks on the bus to indicate it. But there was no sign of blood on the tires, and not a single scratch on the bus".

The official went on to assert that there is no room for speeding in these buses as their engines are set to prevent speeds in excess of 53 kilometres per hour.

"Not only this, but the driver in question has been with MTCC since 2015, and he was driving pickups prior to that".

On behalf of MTCC, the official expressed grief over the incident and conveyed condolences.

However, local media Mihaaru reported that the family of the victim claim that the bus driver was negligent.

A Ukranian woman was also killed in a bus accident earlier this year in Hulhumale'. The bus driver had reportedly dozed off at the wheel and witnesses reported that the tourist was run over.