30 wedding party guests killed in India

A truck carrying a wedding party plunged off a bridge in western India early yesterday and killed at least 30 people, mostly women and children, officials said.

Police in Gujarat state said the accident happened after the truck driver tried to overtake a van but lost control of the vehicle, plunging eight metres (26 feet) into a dry riverbed.

Nearly 60 people were travelling in the open truck and most victims were women and children, local police officer KJ Kadapda told AFP. Many of the injured were in critical condition and officials fear the death toll could rise further.

The accident happened in Bhavnagar district about 200 kilometres from the state capital Ahmedabad.