Bus accident kills 22 in northern India

Bus accident kills 22 in northern India

2011-01-06 14:44:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

DEHRADUN (BNO NEWS) -- Nearly two dozen people were killed on late Wednesday evening when a tour bus overturned and fell into a gorge in northern India, police said on Thursday.

The accident happened late Wednesday near the village of Shiv Mandir in Uttarakhand state, not far from the state's capital of Dehradun. More than 40 people were aboard the bus, which was traveling from Mussoorie in the foothills of the Himalayas to Haridwar.

According to the state government, at least 22 people were killed when the vehicle skidded off the road, overturned, and crashed into a 50-feet-deep gorge. Most of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Nearly two dozen people were also reported to be injured, the official said, but their conditions were not immediately known. Thaindian News reported that 10 of them sustained only minor injuries.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but Thaindian News added that the bus driver had fled the scene and was apparently intoxicated when he lost control of the vehicle. Some passengers had reportedly urged the bus driver to slow down before the accident happened.

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