Bus collides with truck, killing at least 30 in India
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-28 14:48

A bus collided with a truck on a highway in western India on Wednesday and burst into flames, killing at least 30 people, police said.

The head-on collision took place near the town of Baruch in the state of Gujarat, Police Superintendent G. S. Malik said.

Twenty two people were killed at the scene, and eight later died of burns at a hospital, the officer said. Six people remained in critical condition.

Immediately after the collision, the bus was engulfed in flames, and "most died of burn injuries," Malik said. "The fuel tank of the Volvo coach burst on impact, which ignited a deadly fire."

Authorities would conduct DNA tests to determine the identities of the dead, all overnight travelers on their way to Ahmadabad, the state's capital, from the western city of Bombay, he said. Some 41 passengers were on the bus.

The truck driver, who escaped unhurt, was arrested, Malik said.

Baruch is about 216 kilometers (134 miles) north of Ahmadabad.