NAN
At least, 20 passengers were killed and 12 injured on Saturday when the minibus in which they were traveling plunged into a gorge in India’s Jammu and Kashmir state.
The accident took place on a mountain road in the Ramban area as the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into a 150-metre gorge, local police chief Vijay Kotwal said.
The driver was among the victims.
“Initial investigations had shown that the driver lost control due to a mechanical failure in the steering wheel,“ Kotwal said.
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The small bus with a seating capacity of 22, was packed with 32 passengers, Kotwal added.
The injured were moved to a hospital where the conditions of three passengers were said to be serious.
India has the highest number of traffic fatalities worldwide, with an average of around 135,000 people dying per year on the country roads.
Common causes are bad roads, non-roadworthy or overcrowded vehicles and reckless driving.