CALCUTTA, 29 January 2003 — At least 44 people were killed yesterday when their bus collided head-on with a truck packed with flammable paint near the eastern city of Calcutta, police said.
The bus was carrying about 55 people, most of them traders, from neighboring Orissa state to Calcutta when it smashed into the truck about 25 km short of its destination.
The two vehicles caught fire and the bus tumbled off the highway, killing 44 people and injuring 13 others who were taken to local hospitals for treatment, said police superintendent Rajesh Kumar, who supervised the rescue. Five victims were discharged after treatment, Kumar said.
The truck driver and his assistant, who was in the passenger seat, died instantly after the accident at about 5:00 a.m., Kumar said. The truck was packed with paint that ignited on impact. "About 20 of the bodies are charred so badly you can’t even tell whether the victim was a man or a woman," Kumar said. (AFP)
