India, Ahmedabad: An official said, a passenger bus plunged off a bridge into a river in western India F killing at least 37 people in one of the deadliest road accidents in recent years. The accident happened when the driver lost control and veered off the road into Purna river in Navsari district, some 285 kilometres from Ahmedabad, the main city of Gujarat state.

Senior administrative official Remya Mohan in Navsari told AFP, “The death toll has risen to 37. At least 24 others are admitted to hospital for treatment”. The Gujarat government announced 400,000 rupees in compensation for the families of those killed.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), our country has more than 230,000 fatalities annually. Transport analysts attribute the huge number of accidents to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. The government has put forward proposals for new legislation to make roads safer by stiffening lax traffic regulations.