Gaurang Rathi : “Deadly Bus Crash Kills 18”

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A tragic incident unfolded in northern India as a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of at least 18 lives and leaving numerous others injured, according to officials.

The fatal collision took place on an expressway in Uttar Pradesh state, with 19 of the injured individuals being swiftly transported to the hospital by local villagers. Police officer Arvind Kumar reported that the condition of the injured was stable. The ill-fated bus was en route from Bihar, a northern state, to the capital city of New Delhi.

Arvind Kumar stated, “Authorities are actively engaged in the process of identifying the victims, while a thorough investigation has been initiated to ascertain the precise cause of the tragic accident.”

Government official Gaurang Rathi revealed that initial findings from the investigation indicated that the bus may have been travelling at a high speed when it rear-ended the milk truck, causing both vehicles to overturn. The impact of the collision was so severe that one side of the bus was torn off, leading to passengers being ejected from the vehicle. Shocking images broadcasted on television depicted bodies strewn across the road.

India grapples with some of the highest road fatality rates globally, with hundreds of thousands of individuals succumbing to road accidents and sustaining injuries each year. The majority of these incidents are attributed to reckless driving, inadequately maintained roads, and ageing vehicles.

This tragic event comes in the wake of a previous bus accident in May, where a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge on a treacherous mountain highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 21 lives.