12 killed in India bus accident
The bus carrying some 40 passengers crashed on a highway near a village in Chhattisgarh.
RAIPUR (AFP) - A bus rammed into a tree in central India on Monday, killing at least 12 passengers and injuring another 20, an official said.
The bus carrying some 40 passengers crashed on a highway near the village of Bawankera in the state of Chhattisgarh, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the state capital Raipur.
"At least nine (passengers) are in critical condition," state administrative official R. Shangeetha told AFP.
Deadly traffic accidents are common in India. Last month a speeding bus exploded into flames when it hit a highway barricade in southern India, burning 45 passengers to death.
Around 140,000 people died in road accidents in India in 2012, according to the government's National Crime Records Bureau.
Commercial drivers are largely unregulated. Many work long hours through the night, raising the danger of them falling asleep at the wheel, road safety campaigners say.
