17 die as bus falls into deep gorge in Kashmir

17 people killed and 16 others are injured as a bus has fallen off a road into a deep gorge in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, police say.

Police officer Rajinder Gupta says, “The accident occurred on Friday when the driver lost control of the speeding bus on a sharp bend in the Himalayan road.”

“The injured have been recovered from the 3,280-foot (1,000-meter)- deep gorge, including 8 seriously hurt people who were taken by helicopter to a hospital,” said Gupta.

The area is 217 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of Srinagar, the main city in the region.

According to Police, India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed each year. Driver fatigue and negligence, low-quality roads and poor vehicle maintenance are frequent causes of accidents.

Source: Times of India