Bus plunge kills 29 after driver falls asleep
July 8, 2019
A bus carrying 40 passengers has plunged off a main motorway in India, killing at least 29 people.
Local police representative Bablu Kumar said authorities were still investigating the incident, but that it "seems the driver of the bus fell asleep."
The accident took place on Monday in Uttar Pradesh state, government spokesman Awanish Awasthi said. He said 29 people were killed and 19 had since been taken to hospital.
"The bus was speeding and the driver probably dozed off," District Magistrate N. G. Ravi Kumar told local reporters.
Most dangerous roads
The bus was traveling from India's capital, New Delhi, to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. State police said that as it was passing Agra — home of the Taj Mahal — on the six-lane Yamuna Highway, the bus crashed into the road barrier and fell 12 meters into the river below.
India has the most dangerous roads in the world. Nearly 150,000 people are killed on Indian roads every year, with around 470,000 injuries. Last year, at least 25 people, mainly children, were killed in a bus accident in the south Indian state of Karnataka.
Read more: How can India fix its deadly highways?
The Uttar Pradesh authorities last week announced speeding drivers would receive fines. But there has been little enforcement of the traffic laws, according to the news agency Reuters.
jns/rc (AP/Reuters)