The two Australians are shattered over the untimely death of their friend in the accident on Yamuna expressway. They said that this was their first visit to India and they had never expected such a tragic end to their visit.
Ian Thomas Borg, an architect, Bennett Joel Kowald, a graphic designer and Mathew Antony Ridley, a computer programmer, were schoolmates. Ian said they grew up in Sydney and shared a very good bond with each other. Last month they had planned for a one month holiday in India.
Ian said that all of them were excited about the trip. "Two days ago, we landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport. We had a one-month tourist visa. We had planned to see Taj Mahal in Agra. We had plans to spend some time in Varanasi and then travel to Goa," Kowald said.
The three friends stayed in a hotel in Delhi for two days. They visited some places in Delhi and did some shopping. On Thursday morning, they took three Royal Enfield bikes on rent from a Delhi-based agency for the tour. They packed their luggage and took all necessary things. Ian said all the three started their journey from Delhi in the morning and everything was fine.
"We obeyed all traffic rules. We were keeping the left side on the expressway. Suddenly, a speeding bus lost its balance and rammed against Mathew's bike. He was fatally wounded and he died on the spot. We are shattered over the incident," he said. The two friends had come to Kailash Hospital with Mathew's body.
The two were short of words to express their grief. "We have cancelled our programme and informed Australian embassy. They are in touch with us to process all the legal formalities. We will return to our native place after completing legal formalities," said Bennett.
Mukesh Kumar, a security guard at Yamuna expressway, said he was on duty when the accident took place. "I feel the bus driver was at fault. The driver was speeding and driving rash. The Australian national was keeping the left. The bus driver took the extreme left and rammed against his bike. The victim and bike were badly stuck in the pole and it was difficult to extricate him," he said.?