Bus catches fire in India, killing 11 and injuring 24

ABC News:

NEW DELHI — A bus caught fire after hitting a truck on a highway in western India early Saturday, killing at least 11 passengers, an official said.

Another 24 people were injured and taken to a hospital in Nashik, a city in Maharashtra state, said Eknath Shinde, the top state elected official.

Most passengers were sleeping when the bus caught fire around 5 a.m. and the vehicle was completely burned, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Shinde said the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Nashik is nearly 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.

Hundreds of thousands of people are killed or injured annually on India’s roads. Most accidents are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.