Minibus carrying pilgrims plunges into drain in India, killing 8
Eight people died when a minibus full of pilgrims fell into a deep drain beside a highway in India early Saturday, The Times of India and The New Indian Express reported. Most of the riders were family. They were on their way from Bhopal to a temple in Rajasthan, and officials think the driver may have dozed off.
Eight people were killed early Saturday when a minibus carrying about 23 passengers veered off the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and fell into a drain about 15 feet deep in Rajasthan's Kota district, The Times of India and The New Indian Express reported. The crash happened around 6 a.m. local time, The Times of India reported, which was about 8:30 p.m. Friday ET.
The passengers left Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, around 7 p.m. Friday and were headed to the Khatu Shyamji temple in Rajasthan's Sikar district, The Times of India reported. Most of them were from extended families in Bhopal and Betul districts and had set out on a pilgrimage of four to five days, Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujeet Shankar said, according to The New Indian Express.
Officials suspect the driver fell asleep or grew drowsy, The New Indian Express reported. An injured passenger said most people on the bus were asleep and that the driver must have dozed off, The New Indian Express reported.
Mud and water inside the drain slowed rescuers, who used cranes to lift the bus and reach people trapped inside, The Times of India and The New Indian Express reported. Eight injured passengers were admitted to two hospitals in Kota, The Times of India reported, citing police. A hospital official said the hospital received 15 patients, seven of whom were dead on arrival, The New Indian Express reported. The New Indian Express reported that 15 people were injured, and the police superintendent said the rest of the passengers were treated, the outlet reported.
Officials feared the death toll could rise as crews cleared the site and confirmed who was on board, The Times of India reported. The identities of those killed had not yet been confirmed, The Times of India reported.
What we know: Eight people died when a minibus carrying pilgrims fell into a drain near Kota early Saturday, and at least eight others were hurt.
What we don't: The final number of injured, which The Times of India and The New Indian Express report differently, and what caused the bus to leave the road.
Where outlets agree The Times of India and The New Indian Express both report that eight people were killed when a minibus carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh fell into a drain on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Kota.
Where they differ The Times of India reports that eight injured passengers were admitted to two hospitals, while The New Indian Express reports that 15 people were injured.