25 killed as wedding party truck overturns in India

Ahmedabad, India | AFP | A truck carrying a wedding party plunged off a bridge early Tuesday in western India killing at least 25 people, most of them women and children, officials said.

Initial investigations indicated the driver lost control causing the truck to swerve off the bridge and fall eight metres (26 feet) onto a dry riverbed in Gujarat state, police said.

“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 200 kilometres (125 miles) 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.