13 killed, 14 injured in bus-dumper collision in India's Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were killed with 14 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a dumper in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said Thursday.

Following the crash, the bus caught fire.

The accident took place late Wednesday evening in Guna district, about 211 km north of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

"Last late evening a bus carrying passengers collided head-on with the dumper on Guna-Aron road. Following the collision the bus caught fire and in this accident, 12 people were killed on the spot. Later on, one more body was recovered from the accident site, which is suspected to be that of the driver of the dumper," a police official said.

"So a total of 13 people have lost their lives in this tragic accident and 14 others are said to be injured."

According to officials, the ill-fated bus was on its way to Aron, a town in Guna.

Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Reports said the bus was plying without having proper papers.

"It is a sad incident, and we will ensure such accidents don't get repeated. Last night I ordered an investigation to find out if the bus did not have a proper permit how came it was plying freely," said state Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

Around 150,000 people are killed every year in about half a million road accidents across the South Asian country, officials said.

Indian government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2024.