Mumbai, Dec 10 : The toll in the BEST electric bus tragedy toll climbed to seven dead and another 34 injured as it emerged that the driver at the wheel was a rookie.

Contrary to speculation by the locals and victims, the accused -- Sanjay More -- was, apparently, neither drunk nor was the vehicle defective but his blood samples have been sent for analysis.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the deaths and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured victims.

'We shall provide a financial assistance of Rs five lakh to the kin of the deceased. I have ordered that the BMC and BEST bear the treatment expenses of all the injured persons,' said Fadnavis.

A grim Deputy CM Ajit A. Pawar said that the matter is being probed in-depth and the culprit would not be spared in any manner.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aditya Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule, Congress Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan and other Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders demanded a complete inquiry into the tragedy and the most stringent action against the culprit/s.

Jt. Commissioner of Police (L&O) Satyanarayan Chaudhary said the police are investigating the matter thoroughly including a medical examination of the accused and a check on the ill-fated bus.

'We are probing in full detail, following proper legal procedures and then deciding accordingly,' Chaudhary told media persons there.

The chilling incident occurred around 9.30 p.m. in the crowded Kurla West market when More sped the bus and rammed into at least 25 vehicles spreading havoc in the area.

The ghastly accident by the crazily zooming bus occurred close to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Road near Anjuman-E-Islam School on the S.G. Barve Marg.

CCTV footage that came to the fore this morning showed scores of people screaming, running helter-skelter to safety from the monstrous vehicle that left parked or moving autorickshaws, two-wheelers, private cars and even a police van stationed there.

The BMC Disaster Control said at noon that the accident snuffed out seven lives and another 34 injured, including a few seriously, are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

The air-conditioned bus, wet-leased by the BMC, was attached to the Kurla Bus Depot and was proceeding towards Sakinaka in Andheri East when the mayhem took place.

The bus with around seven commuters, wreaked havoc for nearly 500 metres before it rammed into a shop and reached an abrupt halt as angry pedestrians rushed to catch More.

Video footage showed that the furious mob would have lynched More but for a courageous cop who shielded him and whisked him off to the police station, where he was subsequently arrested and charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder invoked. He will be produced before a Magistrate Court later in the day.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Ganesh Gawade said later that the BMC had towed away the bus from the accident site and it will undergo a full check by the RTO officials.

As per the preliminary probe, More lost control of the bus and continued to drive it into the crowds and the traffic, as some locals claimed he was allegedly drunk and laughing at the anarchy he was creating.

/IANS