Bus falls into dry river bed in central India, killing 16
PATNA, India – A passenger bus fell into a dry river bed after crashing through the railing of a bridge in central India, killing 16 people, police said Thursday.
The bus driver lost control of the vehicle as he tried to avoid hitting a motorbike-rider at a sharp bend on the road in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh state Wednesday night, police said.
Police officer R.S. Nayak said that 14 people died on the spot and two later in a hospital.
More than 50 injured were hospitalized. Fourteen of them in critical condition were evacuated by air to Raipur, the state capital, where better medical facilities were available, Nayak said.
Bus accidents are common in India, due mainly to rash driving, vehicle overcrowding, badly maintained roads and aged vehicles. About 240,000 people die in road accidents every year across the country, according to the transportation ministry.
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