13 killed as passenger mini-bus plunges into river in India

NEW DELHI - At least 13 people were killed and three others injured after a mini-bus carrying them plunged into a river in India's western state of Maharashtra, police said Saturday.

The mini-bus fell into river Panchganga on late Friday night at Kolhapur, about 376 km south of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.

"Last night in a tragic accident a mini-bus fell into Panchganga river here, killing 13 people and injuring three others," a police official posted in Kolhpur said. "The accident took place on Shivaji bridge when the driver lost control over the vehicle."

The accident, according to police, took around 11:45 pm local time on Friday and the vehicle was travelling from Ganpatipule to Pune.

Reports said some of the witnesses following the accident informed police who rushed to the spot to carry out search and rescue operation.

The victims were identified as locals, police said.

Police have registered a case and ordered investigations to ascertain actual reason behind the accident.

Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

According to an official report released recently, India witnessed over 400 deaths on an average in road accidents every day in 2016.