7 killed, 40 injured in bus accident in India

NEW DELHI– At least seven people were killed and 40 others injured Wednesday after a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous road in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, police said.

The accident took place near Taptapani area of Ganjam district, about 225 km southwest of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.

"Early today at around 3:30 a.m. (local time) a bus heading to Berhampur town of Ganjam district skidded off the mountainous road in Taptapani ghat and fell down," an official at district emergency operation center Ganjam said. "So far seven deaths have been confirmed in the accident and around 40 people injured in the accident have been removed to the nearest hospitals."

Preliminary reports suggested the driver of the bus coming from adjacent district lost control over the brakes, resulting in the accident.

"The rescue operation is underway in the area," the official said. "There is a likelihood that the death toll will increase because of the critical condition of some of the injured."

Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. An official report says an average of 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents.