Eight killed as bus plunges into ditch in India's Rajasthan

At least eight people have been killed after a passenger bus lost control and fell into a gorge in India's Rajasthan state. Another 17 people were injured. The accident occurred early on Saturday (October 17) in the Kota area, near the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, according to a report by Indian media outlet NDTV.

Five of the eight dead are women. They have been identified as Aruna, Vaishnavi, Trisha, Krishna, Anita, Om, Suryavanshi and Raju.

An official said they received news of the accident around 8 am. Seven people were later taken to hospital dead. The injured were rescued and admitted to hospital. The official concerned said none of them is currently in critical condition.

Preliminary investigation suggests the driver fell asleep, causing the bus to lose control. At one point, the bus broke through the road railing and fell into the gorge alongside. Police reached the scene after being alerted and began a rescue operation.

Four ambulances were sent to the spot to take the injured to hospital quickly. After the rescue work, arrangements were made for their treatment.

Police said there were 27 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. The bus was traveling from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to the Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan. An investigation is under way to determine the actual cause of the accident.