1st LD Writethru: 8 killed, 15 injured as tanker hits passenger bus near Indian capital

At least eight people were killed and more than 15 others injured after a speeding tanker hit a stationary passenger bus on an expressway near the Indian capital early Saturday morning, a senior police official said.

"The mishap took place between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. (local time) after the bus was parked on the side-lane of Yamuna Expressway, following a technical glitch in its engine. The tanker, which was coming at a great speed, hit the bus after the driver lost its control," he said on condition of anonymity.

The victims were mostly passengers of the bus, which was going to Auraiya in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh from Delhi, the official said, adding that eight people died on the spot while all the injured have been admitted to a local hospital.

Senior police officials have rushed to the spot and a probe has been ordered into the incident, he said.

"Traffic was blocked on Yamuna Expressway, a high-speed corridor that connects Delhi with the tourist town of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, following the mishap for nearly three hours," he said.

Yamuna Expressway is an accident-prone zone and many people have lost their lives on the high-speed corridor since it was constructed, though police have initiated several road safety measures to curb the number of incidents. Endit