AT LEAST 18 people died in eastern India on Tuesday when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims collided with a truck transporting cooking gas cylinders, officials said.
The accident took place in Jharkhand state. Visuals from the scene showed the bus’s rear portion almost entirely burnt and the vehicle badly damaged.
Local lawmaker Nishikant Dubey said the pilgrims were on their way to a Hindu shrine to celebrate the sacred month of Shravan, which coincides with the monsoon season in the subcontinent.
"18 devotees lost their lives due to a bus and truck accident," Dubey said on social media.
Officials said the pilgrims were carrying holy water from the Ganges to offer to Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction.
Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
"The road accident in Jharkhand's Deoghar is extremely tragic," his office said on social media. "Deepest condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives."
According to official data, tens of thousands of people die in road accidents in India each year. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari told parliament that more than 172,000 people were killed in road crashes in 2023.
In November last year, a bus plunged into a deep Himalayan ravine in Uttarakhand, killing at least 36 passengers and injuring several others.
(With inputs from agencies)
