14 killed as truck, mini bus collide in India

NEW DELHI - At least 14 people were killed and three others injured after a truck collided head-on with a mini-bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in India's western state of Gujarat, officials said Saturday.

The accident took place on Friday night near Valthera Patiya village of Ahmedabad district, about 26 km south of Gandhinagar city, the capital of Gujarat.

"Last night a mini-bus carrying pilgrims collided head-on with a speeding truck here resulting in killing of 14 people and injuring three others," an official posted in Ahmedabad said. "The passengers were inside the mini-bus."

Officials said the deceased were identified as Hindu pilgrims returning from Pavagadh, a pilgrimage site in Panchmahals district of Gujarat.

"The mini-bus carrying pilgrims was on its way back to Sokhda in Rajkot district," the official said. "The injured were immediately removed to hospital and bodies of deceased were taken out from the mangled vehicle."

Police officials said the driver of the truck escaped along with his vehicle after the accident.

A manhunt has been launched to trace the driver, police said.

Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

Last year 146,133 people were killed and 500,279 others injured in 501,423 road accidents across India, a latest report released by India's ministry of road transport said.

Global Road Safety Report - 2015 released by WHO last year however said India accounts for more than 200,000 deaths annually due to road accidents.