Disasters & Accidents

At least 11 killed in India as bus catches fire after collision

New Delhi, Oct 8 (EFE).- At least 11 people were killed and several injured on Saturday in India’s western state of Maharashtra after the bus carrying them collided with a truck and caught fire.

The accident took place early on Saturday when “a bus crashed into a heavy truck and the impact led to the bus catching fire. As per the lastet count, 11 people have been killed,” Jayant Naiknaware, the police commissioner for the city of Nashik – where the incident took place – told reporters.

“The bus had started with 30 passengers from the city of Yavatmal, and 19 other passengers boarded it later. We are trying to identify the victims and the wounded are being treated,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims’ families in a tweet and announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees (around $2,400) for the deceased and 50,000 rupees for the wounded.

Traffic accidents are frequent in India due to poor road conditions, the precarious state of some of the vehicles and a general disregard for traffic rules.

Earlier this week, at least 25 people were killed when a bus plunged around 500 meters deep into a ravine in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

One of the worst road accidents in recent years occurred in February last year when 51 people died after a bus crashed into a canal in Madhya Pradesh.

In 2020, 131,714 people died and more than 348,279 injured in some 366,138 car accidents in India, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. EFE

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