NEW DELHI (AP) — A minibus carrying passengers rammed into a parked truck in India’s northern state of Rajasthan late Sunday, killing at least 15 people and injuring two others, local authorities said.
The victims, including the driver, were returning to the desert city of Jodhpur after offering prayers to a Hindu deity in the pilgrimage town of Kolayat, officials said.
Among the dead were 10 women, four children, and the driver, senior government official Shweta Chauhan told The Associated Press. The injured have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
The victims were trapped in the mangled mass of metal that the tempo traveler minibus was reduced to after the accident, Chauhan said.
Senior police officer Kundan Kanwaria said the driver was trying to overtake another vehicle but crashed into the truck parked on the highway.
“It seems the driver couldn’t even apply the brakes before hitting the truck,” Kanwaria said.
It is not uncommon in India for vehicles, especially trucks and trailers, to be parked haphazardly along highways, often without warning lights or reflectors. Such poorly marked stops frequently pose serious risks for nighttime drivers and have led to several deadly crashes in recent years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan’s highest elected official, Bhajan Lal Sharma, offered their condolences to the bereaved families.
The incident comes less than three weeks after a suspected short circuit sparked a fire on a passenger bus in Rajasthan, rapidly engulfing the vehicle in flames and burning at least 20 people to death.
