NEW DELHI (HPD) — A bus collided with a truck on a highway in central India, killing at least 15 people, police reported Saturday.
Another 40 people were injured in the fire in the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh state on Friday night, authorities added.
Some 60 people were aboard the bus when it hit a stopped truck after colliding with another on the same road, police officer Navneet Bhasin told reporters.
Most of the passengers were workers returning home to the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Bhasin said.
The injured were taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries.
India’s President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted their condolences on Saturday.
India has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, with hundreds of deaths and injuries every year. Most accidents are attributed to reckless driving, poor road maintenance and vehicle deterioration.