Ten die as van carrying wedding guests overturns

A speeding van overturned on an Indian road today killing 10 wedding guests and injuring at least 70 others, police said.

The van packed with nearly 100 people, many of them children, was trying to overtake another vehicle when it overturned, said Sanjay Nath, superintendent of police in Sambalpur district of Orissa state. Six of the 10 dead were children, he said.

The passengers were on their way to a wedding ceremony. Nath said the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle while speeding.

Fatal road accidents are common in India. Many involve buses and vans that are overcrowded and are driven rashly ignoring traffic rules.