New Delhi, Nov 14. (dpa/GNA) – At least 24 people died, when a small bus collided with a lorry in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam on Friday, officials said.
State minister Atul Bora, told journalists that at least 11 people were also injured in the accident, which took place on a motorway near Kaziranga National Park. Many of the victims were school pupils, he said.
About 35 people, including the driver, were on the bus, the Indian daily newspaper Hindustan Times and other media reported, citing police.
The Hindustan Times quoted a survivor as saying that the bus was overcrowded and some passengers had been standing in the aisle.
According to media reports, officials suspect the bus was travelling too fast when it veered off its lane and collided with the oncoming lorry.
The lorry’s driver and passenger were said to have survived with injuries.
Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, expressed shock on social media.
He said the scale of the loss in the accident had deeply affected everyone.
GNA