Bus Plunges Off Bridge In India Killing Dozens

At least 37 people have been killed after a bus plunged off a bridge into a river in India.

The accident happened when the driver apparently lost control and veered off the road into Purna river in Navsari district, 180 miles (285km) from Ahmedabad, the main city of Gujarat state.

A police superintendent said: "The bus was going from Navsari to Ukai when the accident took place.

"We do not know the exact number of people travelling in the bus, but it is said that it was full."

He added that police, fire brigade and ambulance services were involved in a rescue operation at the scene.

A senior administrative official for Gujarat state said later that 37 people had died and "at least" 24 others had been taken to hospital for treatment.

Television images showed locals and rescuers in the water, shifting parts of the bus wreckage with their bare hands and carrying people to ambulances in bedsheets.

Gujarat's chief minister Anandiben Patel tweeted: "Deeply pained to learn about the unfortunate bus accident on Purna River Bridge in Navsari. My prayers are with victims & their families!"

The Gujarat government has announced 400,000 rupees (£4,080) compensation for the families of those killed.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 230,000 people die on India's roads every year.

Transport analysts say it is because of poor surfaces, badly-maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

In October, 15 members of a wedding party, including three children, were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a bus in the south of the country.

In 2013, a speeding bus exploded in a ball of flames after crashing into the central reservation of a southern Indian highway, killing 45 passengers as they slept.

The government has put forward proposals to make roads safer by toughening up lax traffic regulations.