India, July 27 -- A week after the July 20 Mankhurd bus accident which claimed one life and injured ten persons, all but two have been discharged from hospital. However, their lives and livelihoods now stand completely disrupted.

Although they are undergoing free medical care in Govandi's civic-run Shatabdi Hospital, the families told HT that the other expenses were crippling them. "We were struggling with a remaining debt of Rs.1.5 lakh which we had taken for my father-in-law's treatment and my delivery complications when this happened," said Chinta Ajanta, the wife of 42-year-old Sumangal Maiti.

Maiti, a contractual labourer at HPCL, was returning from a night shift when the accident occurred. "Since we can't afford a chair or mattres...