37 dead, 15 injured in bus crash in western India

At least 37 people have died and 15 others wounded in a bus crash in India’s western state of Maharashtra, police say.

The accident took place on Mumbai-Goa highway in the Khed area of Ratnagiri district, around 350 km (220 miles) south of the port city of Mumbai, early Tuesday when “the driver suddenly lost control” and the bus plunged off a bridge, police said.

The injured, including the driver, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Reports say some foreign tourists were among the passengers of the bus, but there was no immediate confirmation from the police.

More than 800 people have lost their lives in accidents on the Mumbai-Goa highway in the last three years.

According to the latest available statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, about 110,000 people died in road accidents in the country in 2011, more than 300 every day.

Bad roads, speeding vehicles and poor driving are among the contributing factors in road accidents in India.