NEW DELHI, June 8 (UPI) -- A bus in India skidded off a bridge, plunged into a ditch and caught fire, killing 23 passengers, some charred beyond recognition, police said Wednesday.
The accident occurred near Kaveripakkam in southern Tamil Nadu as the bus was traveling from the state capital of Chennai, formerly called Madras, to Tirupur, police said.
The driver lost control of the bus while passing over the bridge and the vehicle plunged down, catching fire, the Press Trust of India reported.
The report said the 24th passenger in the bus survived.
It was not clear if the bus driver, who some reports said fled the scene, was trying to avoid a collision with a truck or was trying to overtake other vehicles when he lost control.
This is the second major road accident in India in two weeks.
On May 30, a bus carrying about 40 members of a wedding party fell into a river in eastern Assam state, killing at least 26 people, police said.
Police said that bus plunged into the river when a wooden bridge on which it was traveling collapsed. Those killed included the bridegroom, his parents and two children, police said.
