Bus Crash in India Leaves 27 Dead, 17 Injured

Authorities in India have confirmed that at least 27 members of a wedding party were killed in on Monday when a speeding van lost control and crashed into a stationary minibus on a highway outside Mumbai.

The Pakistan Today reports that the horrific accident took place after the wedding party’s bus broke down on an expressway in the Khalapaur area, forcing the group to wait outside the vehicle as the drivers attempted to fix the problem. Another bus carrying guests had also stopped and parked next to the broken-down bus, according to the report.

It was during this time that a speeding van swerved off the highway and slammed into one of the buses from the rear. The impact pushed the first minibus into another, crushing those standing between them.

“The victims included seven children below the age of 14 years,’ Sky News quotes local police officer SN Shinde as saying. “Most of the victims died on the scene. The group was returning from a wedding in a Mumbai suburb.”

BBC notes that India has one of the world’s highest annual road fatality rates, with more than 110,000 people killed every year in accidents.

In 2010 alone, nearly 135,000 people (366 per day) died on India’s roads, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

Most of the accidents are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.