21 Die As Bus Falls From Bridge In India

Police on Monday said no fewer than 21 people were burnt to death and 13 others injured after a bus fell from a bridge and caught fire in central India.

The police said that the accident occurred on a highway in Madhya Pradesh State’s Panna district, some 500km northeast of Bhopal.

“The private bus fell off the bridge and caught fire after its fuel tank exploded.

“It is difficult to identify the victims as the bodies are badly charred,’’ Panna’s Deputy Police Chief, RD Prajapati, said by telephone from the accident site.

The injured, including the driver, were taken to a hospital where doctors said the condition of three passengers was serious.
State authorities ordered a probe into the accident and announced compensation for the victims.

Report says India has the highest number of traffic fatalities in the world.

According to government data, an average of 135,000 people die on the country’s roads each year, while most accidents are caused by poor conditions of roads and vehicles, poor driving or overcrowding of vehicles. (dpa/NAN)