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- The bus collided with a truck carrying gas cylinders, officials report.
- Passengers were transporting holy water from the Ganges River.
- India experiences tens of thousands of road accidents annually.
NEW DELHI: At least 18 individuals lost their lives in eastern India on Tuesday after a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims collided with a truck loaded with cooking gas cylinders, authorities announced.
Images from the scene in Jharkhand display a crumpled bus, with its back end almost entirely burnt out.
Local representative Nishikant Dubey stated that the pilgrims were heading to a Hindu temple to mark the sacred month of Shravan, which coincides with the start of the monsoon season across the region.
“Eighteen worshippers died in this tragic crash involving a bus and a truck,” Dubey posted on social media.
The pilgrims were on a spiritual journey with holy water from the Ganges, meant for offering to Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his “deepest sympathies” to the families affected by the tragedy.
“The road accident in Jharkhand’s Deoghar is especially tragic,” his office stated on social media.
Official data confirms that hundreds of thousands die in road accidents in India each year.
In 2023, more than 172,000 fatalities resulted from traffic crashes, according to Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.
In November, a bus plunged into a deep Himalayan ravine in Uttarakhand, killing at least 36 people and injuring many more.
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