17 Killed as Bus Plunges Into River in India

Police say 17 people died when the bus they were traveling in plunged into a river in western India.

The bus was crossing the Purna river in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra state Wednesday morning when the accident took place. The area is 650 kilometers (400 miles) north of state capital Mumbai.

Head Constable Surendra Mahaske says that at least 10 others were injured in the accident. The cause was not immediately clear because the driver was among those killed. Mahaske says there were at least 40 passengers on the bus and the survivors were helped out of the river by local villagers.

India has the world’s highest road death toll. More than 110,000 people die in road accidents there each year.