Twenty-three killed in India bus fire

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NEW DELHI: Twenty-three people were burned to death in India when the private bus in which they were travelling plunged off a bridge and caught fire, a report said Wednesday.

The Press Trust of India said the bus fell off the bridge about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the city of Vellore in the state of Tamil Nadu as the driver lost control, quoting police.

One of the 24 passengers managed to escape, police said.

The report, which said some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, did not mention the fate of the driver.

India has the highest annual road death toll in the world, according to the World Health Organisation, with accidents caused by speeding, careless driving and poor roads.

About 125,000 people or about 350 a day died on the country's notoriously dangerous roads in 2009, according to the latest statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau. (AFP)