NEW DELHI, India— A crowded bus plunged into a gorge in the foot of the Himalayas, killing at least 15 people, while at least nine people were reported Killed in a separate road accident, United News of India said today.
The news agency said the bus was carrying more than 125 passengers when it skidded off a winding road near Dehra Dun, about 125 miles north of New Delhi. It quoted officials as saying many people were riding on the roof, a common practice in India.
The agency said 15 bodies had been recovered, but that more than 40 people were feared dead. More than 25 people were hospitalized, it said.
There was no immediate confirmation by local officials of the Report, nor of a second bus accident that UNI said occurred when a truck and bus collided near the south Indian city of Bangalore early today.
‘The dead included seven Hindu pilgrims on the bus and two people in the truck, the agency said.
A survey released Friday said India has the highest traffic accident and fatality rate in the world. ‘A road accident occurs every four minutes in India, killing an average of 70 people each day, said the study by the National Road Transport Council and Trauma Care Association.
It said India’s accident rate 34.6 per 10,000 vehicles, compared to 14 per 10,000 in the United States. India’s accident fatality rate was 55 per thousand, compared to 3.3 in the United States, it said.
Most of the accidents involve buses and trucks.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1986
