1st LD Writethru: Jeep-truck collision kills 17 in western India
Xinhua, March 3, 2017 Adjust font size:
At least 17 people, including three women, were killed and six others injured on Friday in a deadly jeep-truck collision in India's western state of Rajasthan, police said.
The accident took place near Lakhuwali town in Hanumangarh district, about 368 km north of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan.
"This morning a jeep overcrowded with passengers collided head-on with a truck killing 17 people," Pushpender Singh, a senior police official told Xinhua over telephone from Hanumangarh.
"Those killed in the accident also include bystanders along the road."
Officials said the injured were immediately removed to hospital for treatment.
The bodies, according to police, have been taken to local hospital for post-mortem and from there they will be handed over to their relatives.
Police officials have initiated investigations to ascertain the cause of accident.
"Preliminary investigation revealed the negligent driving as the underlying cause," Singh said.
On Sunday, at least 17 people were killed and 62 others injured after a speeding truck they were travelling in overturned in northeastern state of Meghalaya.
Deadly road accidents are common in India due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
India's ministry of road transport said 146,133 people were killed and 500,279 others injured in 501,423 road accidents across the country in 2015. Endit