A bus rammed into several vehicles and pedestrians in Mumbai on Monday night, killing at least six and injuring dozens of others.

Police officials said the number of deaths may rise further. 

The victims were aged between 18 and 55, according to initial media reports.

At least 40 other people appear to have been injured.

The crash happened at around 9:30 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in Mumbai's Kurla area, a suburb in the city's east.

Indian media reported that the driver lost control and crashed into autorickshaws, motorcycles and people before ramming into a gate. 

The incident led to scenes of chaos as people did not understand what was happening. "It was like a terror attack. A mob chased the bus and caught hold of the driver and manhandled him until the police arrived," Kapil Singh, an eyewitness told The Times of India.

Those injured were taken to nearby hospitals by locals and authorities. 

Bus driver has been detained by police officials

The driver has been detained by police officials.

The bus was run by Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST), which said that the driver had "lost control of the bus" according to initial reports. 

The Quick Response Team (QRT) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed to disperse the massive crowd that had gathered at the scene.

Road accidents are common in India, due to negligent driving and bad conditions on some roads.

Thenumber of fatalities due to such accidents is quite high in India. From 2014 to 2023, more than 1.5 million lives had been lost to road accidents.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar