Xinhua, New Delhi :
At least 18 people were killed and five others injured after a vehicle carrying them collided with a stationary truck in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, officials said Sunday.
The accident took place late Saturday night at the Phulbari area of Nadia district, about 164 km north of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.
“Late last night a vehicle carrying people collided with a stationary truck laden with stones at Phulbari area, resulting in the killing of 18 people and injuring five others,” a police official said.
According to police, the victims were mourners heading to a crematorium to cremate the body of a relative.
Following the accident, the injured were removed to a nearby hospital.
Police officials said preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was being rashly driven and there was dense fog in the area.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar expressed his grief and said there was a need to promote road safety.
Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused by overloading, poor condition of roads and reckless driving.
Around 150,000 people are killed every year in around half a million road accidents across India, officials said.
India’s federal minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari recently said the government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2024.
