18 killed as bus plunges into river

At least 18 people were killed and many were injured after their bus fell off a bridge into a river in north Maharashtra today.

As many as 18 passengers were killed and 18 others injured today when a Maharashtra state transport bus plunged into the Purna river, police said.

"So far, we have got details stating that at least 18 people were killed and as many others injured. The figures of those killed are likely to go up as some of those injured are critical," an official said.

The bus was on a regular Shegaon-Paturda service carrying around 45 passengers, including several school students, an official of Buldhana police control said.

Around 11 am, when it was negotiating the Khiroda bridge on the fast-flowing Purna river, it suddenly plunged into the river.

The district authorities immediately dispatched a crane and rescue workers for relief operations and at least 20 passengers trapped inside the bus were pulled out, the official said.

Buldhana district, located in north Maharashtra, is around 500 kms from Mumbai.u00a0

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