30 killed as wedding party truck overturns in India

March 07, 2018 | 10:13

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A truck carrying a wedding party plunged off a bridge in western India early Tuesday (Mar 6) and killed at least 30 people, mostly women and children, officials said.

30 killed as wedding party truck overturns in india

Onlookers gather around the bodies of passengers who had been travelling in a truck that plunged off a bridge in Bhavnagar district on Mar 6, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

Police in Gujarat state said the accident happened after the truck driver tried to overtake a van but lost control of the vehicle, plunging 8m into a dry riverbed.

Images from the scene showed bloodied passengers being assisted by bystanders as the dead were covered in sheets.

Many passengers were trapped under the vehicle that overturned after it crashed through the bridge railing and nosedived into the ground.

A M Sayyed, local deputy superintendent of police, said the initial death toll rose after five passengers died from their injuries in hospital.

"Around 60 persons were travelling in the truck and most victims are women and children," Gujarat police inspector K J Kadapda told AFP.

Officials indicated the toll could rise as many of the passengers, who were on their way to a wedding, remained trapped under the truck which overturned. Other injured victims have been rushed to hospital.

The accident happened in Bhavnagar district, about 200km from the state capital Ahmedabad.

The district collector, Harshadkumar Patel, told AFP that "at least 25 persons have lost their lives in the accident".

India has some of the world's deadliest roads.

More than 150,000 people are killed each year with most accidents blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

AFP

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