INDIA: Thirty four members of a wedding party killed in road accident

Record ID: 1377225

  • Title: INDIA: Thirty four members of a wedding party killed in road accident
  • Date: 4th March 2011
  • Summary: CHAMBA, HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA (MARCH 3, 2011) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) PAN FROM LOCALS AT TOP OF CLIFF DOWN TO BOTTOM OF DEEP GORGE MANGLED VEHICLE BELOW RESCUE WORKERS AT ACCIDENT SITE POLICE AND RESCUE WORKERS COVERING BODIES OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS WITH WHITE SHEETS POLICE OFFICIALS DOING PAPERWORK AT THE SITE POLICE AND RESCUE WORKERS STANDING NEAR COVERED BODIES VARIOUS OF RESCUE WORKERS CARRYING AWAY COVERED BODIES ON STRETCHERS (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) RAM, A LOCAL MAN AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, SAYING: "We can't say anything about how the tragedy occurred since no one has survived. But it was raining a lot last night." MORE OF POLICE AND RESCUE OFFICIALS NEAR THE BODIES
  • Embargoed: 18th March 2011 23:01
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India, India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA1N2O2K3XCUO2G5IQLI64YDFAN
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: At least 34 members of a wedding party died in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh late on Wednesday (March 2) night after the truck they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge.
    Police and rescue workers were at the site on Thursday (March 3) recovering the victims' bodies.
    A local man said the cause of the accident was not known, but the driver might have lost control of the vehicle on the curvy mountain road in heavy rain.
    "We can't say anything about how the tragedy occurred since no one has survived. But it was raining a lot last night," said Ram.
    According to local media reports, the rescue operation was delayed because of low visibility and rain.
    Local reports also said the bodies of all 34 passengers including the driver had been recovered from the accident site.
    Potholed roads, inadequate safety regulations, a scrappy licence system and a lax attitude toward drunk and underage driving are all blamed for accidents that kill an estimated 275 people in India every day.
    India's transport ministry estimates that the number of annual fatalities from road accidents might climb to 150,000 by 2015 due to the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in the country.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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