25 killed in Indian wedding bus plunge

GUWAHATI: At least 25 members of a wedding party were killed in India's northeastern state of Assam when their bus plunged into a gorge after hitting a wooden bridge, police said Tuesday.

Among the dead were the groom and his relatives, who were travelling to the bride's house to attend wedding rituals. Local people rushed to the scene and tried to save passengers trapped inside the vehicle, TV channels reported.

The accident took place on Monday night in Kamrup district, 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Assam's main city of Guwahati. About 40 people were thought to be on the crowded bus, with several taken to hospital with serious injuries.

"We have recovered 25 bodies so far and six people have been rescued by locals. The search operation is still on," senior police officer A. Das told AFP by telephone from the accident site.

In another road incident in Assam late on Monday, four people were burnt to death and 12 severely injured when a tanker carrying petrol turned over and exploded on a highway causing a fire in nearby homes.

"The tanker skidded off the road. Several homes along the highway were set ablaze and sleeping villagers were killed," said police officer B. Bora.

India has the highest annual road death toll in the world, according to the World Health Organization, with accidents caused by speeding, careless driving and poor roads.

About 125,000 people or about 350 a day died on the country's notoriously dangerous roads in 2009, according to the latest statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011