17 killed in fatal bus plunge in India
Rescuers on Wednesday resumed searching for seven people missing after a bus plunged into a river in mountainous northern India, killing at least 17 Hindu pilgrims.
Police officer Mahadev Uniyal said Wednesday that rescuers recovered 16 bodies and one person died in the hospital. Six people who were injured in the crash were still hospitalised.
The search had been halted late Tuesday but resumed in the morning.
The bus plunged nearly 380 feet (150 meters) into a river in Uttarakhand state, nearly 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of New Delhi. The cause wasn’t known.
Uttarakhand state is a popular summer vacation destination for tourists seeking to escape the torrid heat of India’s plains. It is also a religious pilgrimage site with four temple towns in the Garhwal Himalayan range.
More than 110,000 people are killed annually on India’s roads. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles.
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