A packed passenger bus plunged off a bridge into a river in western India Friday killing at least 37 people, an official said, in one of the deadliest road accidents in recent years. The incident happened when the driver lost control and veered off the road into Purna river in Navsari district, some 285 kilometres (180 miles) from Ahmedabad, the main city of Gujarat state.
"The death toll has risen to 37. At least 24 others are admitted to hospital for treatment," senior administrative official Remya Mohan in Navsari told AFP. Television images showed locals and rescuers in the water, using their bare hands to carry people to ambulances in bedsheets and remove parts of the mangled bus wreckage. The Gujarat government announced 400,000 rupees ($5,900) in compensation for the families of those killed.