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NEW DELHI – At least 48 people were killed and a dozen others were injured after an overloaded bus plunged into a gorge in northern India early Sunday, according to the police.
The accident occurred in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. Bus safety is a notorious problem in India, but Sunday's toll was particularly high, even in a country where fatal accidents are too common, and the situation was very difficult. Jagat Ram Joshi, the police chief of Pauri Garhwal district, where the accident occurred, said it took rescuers hours to descend the hillside in order to To reach the wounded. , some of whom were in critical condition. He said that it was not clear why the vehicle, which seats 28, was crushed.
"It seems like the driver has lost control on a tight bend or the road has been damaged a bit," Joshi said by phone. "The bus was clearly overloaded.You can not carry 61 people on this bus."
Trivendra Singh Rawat, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, called for an investigation and offered compensation for several thousand dollars to the families of those killed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reached out to families writing on Twitter that he was "extremely saddened" by the accident.
Road rules are rarely enforced in India and few drivers receive training before they get behind the wheel.
In April, thirteen children were killed after a train struck their school bus. The bus driver listened to loud music with the help of headphones, said witnesses, and did not hear the train approaching.
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