Dozens Burned Alive in India Bus Crash

At least 44 dead

  • Share
  • Read Later

A fire broke out after a bus crashed in southern India early Wednesday, engulfing the vehicle in flames and killing at least 44 passengers.

Police told AFP that the fire was triggered by an exploding fuel tank after the bus crashed into a central reservation on a highway between the cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad at about 5 a.m., local time. Five people managed to escape the burning vehicle, police said, including the driver and bus cleaner.

India has the world’s highest annual death toll from road traffic, according to the World Health Organization. The country loses more than 100,000 lives due to crashes every year, with a road traffic fatality rate of 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

[AFP]