At least 18 dead in collision between double-decker bus and milk truck in India

LUCKNOW, India – A double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in northern India on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

The accident occurred on a highway in the state of Uttar Pradesh. 19 injured people were taken to hospital by villagers in the area, police officer Arvind Kumar said, adding that their condition was stable. The bus was travelling from the northern state of Bihar to the capital New Delhi.

“Authorities are in the process of identifying the victims and investigations have been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the accident,” Kumar added.

Preliminary investigations suggest the bus may have been travelling too fast when it struck the milk truck from behind, causing both vehicles to overturn, said Gaurang Rathi, a government official. The impact was so severe that one side of the bus was torn off and passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Television images showed bodies strewn on the road.

India has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people are killed or injured every year. Most accidents are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and outdated vehicles.

In May, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded on a mountain road in Indian-controlled Kashmir and overturned in a deep ravine, killing at least 21 people.