A bus carrying Hindus on a religious pilgrimage skidded off a hillside road and plunged into a gorge overnight in western India, killing at least 38 people and injuring 40 others, police said Monday.
At least five children, 17 women and 16 men died in the accident just before midnight Sunday in Nashik district, Maharashtra state, said N. Gupta, police superintendent at the Nashik police station. Nashik lies about 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of the state capital, Mumbai.
Most of the victims were crushed under the wreckage of the bus, which split in two when it fell, said S. Chokani, the district officer.
The pilgrims left Mumbai on Friday and were returning home after visiting temples in Nashik, including the temple of Shirdi Sai Baba, an Indian saint who lived from mid-19th century to the early 20th century and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims, Gupta said.
"They went to pray to God and look what has happened," said a sobbing Deepak Salunke, a victim's nephew in Mumbai. "How can this happen? They just went to pray."
The bus was only supposed to seat 45 passengers but was carrying about 80 when it crashed, Gupta said. The driver survived the accident but fled the scene, he said.
"The initial inquiry shows that the driver appears to have lost control of the bus while negotiating a sharp turn," said Gupta. "There were also more passengers than should have been in the bus. We are investigating."
Overcrowding, reckless driving and aging vehicles are blamed for most accidents on Indian roads.
