At least 18 labourers resting on the side of a road were crushed to death under a bus in India's Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday.
Nineteen people were injured in the accident and have been moved to a hospital, informed Indian police said.
The accident took place on the Lucknow-Ayodhya National Highway near Barabanki district at around 1:30am, according to the Hindustan Times.
Satya Narayan Sabat, the additional director general of police of Lucknow Zone, said labourers, who are natives of Bihar, were returning from Punjab and Haryana on the bus.
Fourteen people, including six children, killed in road accident in Uttar Pradesh https://t.co/Ph3CzehGpj
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“The children who died in the crash were all aged between 7 and 15.” pic.twitter.com/MZ2FwKhm4c
The police officer added that the axle shaft of the bus broke down, and the driver asked the passengers to step out of the vehicle so he could fix it.
“Since it was late, some passengers laid down on the road to rest,” Sabat said. “Then, a truck hit the bus from behind and they were crushed under it.”
Sabat added that some bodies were still stuck under the bus and efforts were on to recover them.
“The police and district administration have begun an investigation into this tragic accident and are ensuring that injured receive proper treatment,” the police officer added.
