At least 47 killed as Indian wedding party bus plunges into lake

A bus carrying wedding guests veered off a road and plunged into a lake today in north-eastern India, killing at least 47 people.

A bus carrying wedding guests veered off a road and plunged into a lake early today in north-eastern India, killing at least 47 people.

Another 27 passengers were injured when the bus, packed with more than 80 people, crashed into the lake near the town of Sarupeta in Assam state, said Bipin Bargohain, a police official at the accident site.

The passengers were heading for a wedding in Goumura, a village 100 miles west of Gauhati, Assam’s capital, when the driver appeared to lose control, the bus swerved off the road and fell into the lake, Bargohain said.

“The bus was pulled out by a crane and all 47 bodies found were trapped inside the bus,” he said.

Villagers, police and soldiers were searching the lake for more bodies.

Anxious relatives of the dead and the injured were searching the hospitals in Sarupeta for their kin.

It was the first of two major bus accidents today. A few hours after the accident in Assam, a bus swerved off another steep mountain road and fell into a gorge, killing at least 15 passengers and injuring 27 others.

That accident occurred near the resort town of Nainital in the Himalayan foothills, said Alok Sharma, a top regional police official.

The bus was on its way from the Indian capital, New Delhi, to Almora, a town in Uttaranchal state.

The police officer said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle as it negotiated a sharp turn and fell into the gorge. The driver escaped with minor injuries.

Road accidents claim thousands of lives every year in India, and most are blamed on reckless driving, ageing vehicles and poor roads. Many passenger buses in far-flung areas are rickety and poorly maintained, and are often overcrowded.