South Asia News
10 dead as bus falls on rail tracks in Kolkata
Jul 4, 2009, 13:07 GMT
New Delhi - At least 10 people died after a speeding bus plunged off a bridge and crashed on railway tracks in India's eastern metropolis of Kolkata on Saturday, police said.
The bus plunged nearly 50 feet (15 metres) from the Bankim bridge on to the tracks near the Howrah railway station, a police spokesman said.
'According to the information we have, 10 people died in the accident. Another 15 were injured who were shifted to nearby hospitals,' C. Nath, a police officer, told reporters at Howrah.
There were between 25 to 30 passengers in the bus. Three of the victims were women.
'Doctors said several of injured were serious and the death toll could rise further,' Nath added.
Police and medical teams completed rescue operations but the wreckage of the bus was yet to be removed causing a suspension of train services on the route, railway spokesman Sameer Goswami said.
Witnesses said rash driving was the cause of the accident. 'The bus driver was speeding and trying to overtake another vehicle on the bridge,' a witness told local news channels.
Road accidents take a high toll in India and are usually caused by rash driving, overloading and poor condition of roads and vehicles.
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