NEW DELHI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least six people have been killed and seven others injured in a road accident in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, a police official said Monday.
"The accident occurred when a private passenger bus in which the victims were travelling collided head-on with a water tanker near Lonikand on Pune-Ahmednagar Road, some 40 km from the city of Pune, late Sunday night," he said on condition of anonymity.
While seven people died on the spot, those injured have been admitted to a hospital in Wagholi, where the condition of some are said to be serious, the official said, adding that the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their family members after an autopsy.
The victims were returning to their homes in Pune after attending a marriage function in nearby Ahmednagar district when the accident occurred.
A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said. "The driver of the tanker fled after the accident and efforts are on to track him down though prima facie it seems that the bus was travelling at high speed and its driver lost control of the vehicle," he added.
India has one of the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents are caused mainly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.
