Bus plunge kills 21 India

At least 21 people were killed and another 30 were injured as a bus crashed off a bridge in eastern India on Friday.

Police officer Rajendra Das said the driver lost control of the vehicle while talking on his mobile phone.

The bus plunged nearly 19 meters (50 feet) into a ditch in Angul district in Odisha state, Das said. The area is 140 kilometers (about 90 miles) northwest of Bhubaneshwar, the state capital.

Driver fatigue, negligence, poor quality roads and vehicle maintenance are the usual causes of such accidents in India.

Police figures show India has the world’s highest road death toll, with more than 110,000 people dying each year in accidents.