17 killed as vehicle falls into gorge in northern India

PanARMENIAN.Net - Seventeen people returning from a wedding were killed when the truck they were riding in fell into a gorge in northern India, police said Monday, Oct 21, according to the Associated Press.

Police officer Dinesh Pant said 28 others were injured in the accident late Sunday near Kaladungi, a town about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of New Delhi.

The driver lost control of the vehicle after the brakes failed on a mountainous road in Uttarakhand state, Pant said. The driver was among those killed.

The bride and the groom were traveling in another vehicle and were unhurt, he said.

India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

On Oct 3, a cargo truck crashed into two minivans packed with laborers headed to work early in northeast India, killing 28 people, including 13 children. Another 20 people were injured, some critically.

In early Sept, 13 people were killed when a bus fell into a gorge after hitting a roadside tree in southern India. The accident occurred in the hilly Malappuram area of Kerala state. Another 25 people were injured in the accident, which happened after the driver lost control of the bus.