24 Hindu Pilgrims Die When Bus Falls Into River In India

24 Hindu pilgrims die when bus falls into river in India < br />

2012-05-23 20:22:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

RISHIKESH, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- A bus carrying dozens of Hindu pilgrims slammed into a truck before plunging into a river in northern India on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 24 passengers and injuring many others, police said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon when the bus was returning from the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand state after the pilgrims completed their Char Dham pilgrimage. It happened near the town of Byasi, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the city of Rishikesh, which is located in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Police said the driver of the private tour bus lost control of his vehicle after being hit by a truck, causing it to roll down steep, rocky terrain before plunging into the Alaknanda River, which is one of the two headstreams of the Ganges. "Our rescue workers worked several hours to rescue the passengers," a district police official said.

At least 24 bodies were pulled from the river as of Wednesday, but it was not known if any passengers remained missing because officials provided conflicting numbers for the total number of people on board the bus. Eighteen people were rushed to area hospitals for treatment, and several of them were believed to be in a serious or critical condition.

The driver of the bus had managed to jump out of the bus before it plunged into the fast-flowing river, police said.

India, the world's second most populous nation, is often the scene of deadly road accidents, many of which are attributed to reckless driving, aging vehicles and overloading. In new figures released in 2010, India overtook China to top the world in road fatalities.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, approximately 120,000 people are killed in road accidents in India each year. Deaths as the result of road accidents account for up to 40 percent of the country's deaths due to unnatural causes.

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