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A bus carrying pilgrims from a Hindu temple in the hills of southern India left a road Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, officials said. At least 25 other people were injured.
The driver lost control while trying to avoid another bus on the busy road to the famous Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Telangana State, said Narendar, a local official who uses a single name.
Crowds often invade the temple on Tuesday. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Hanuman, and Tuesdays are considered propitious to offer him prayers.
Passersby rushed to help after the bus crashed onto the road, causing the front of the vehicle to fall. Volunteers crawled on the bus through the broken windows, carrying the dead and wounded by thick grass and walking up the hill to the road. The wounded were taken to hospitals in the area.
An investigation was ordered on the cause of the accident, Narendar said.
"Shocked to learn about the bus accident," said President Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet. "Thoughts with bereaved and wounded families."
More than 100,000 people die each year on Indian roads, often because of reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and overloaded passenger vehicles.
Deadly bus accidents are common. In July, 48 people were killed when a bus crashed into a gorge in the state of Uttarakhand.
