At least 18 Hindu pilgrims have been killed in jap India on Tuesday after a bus collided with a truck carrying cooking gasoline cylinders, triggering a devastating fireplace, officers mentioned.

“Eighteen devotees misplaced their lives on account of a bus and truck accident,” native lawmaker Nishikant Dubey confirmed on social media, including that the victims have been taking part within the annual pilgrimage marking the onset of India’s monsoon season.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences, calling the incident “extraordinarily tragic.” His workplace launched a press release providing prayers and assist to the victims’ households.

India has one of many world’s highest street fatality charges. In 2023 alone, over 172,000 individuals died in street accidents, in accordance with Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. Just final November, a bus crash within the northern state of Uttarakhand killed 36 individuals when it plunged right into a Himalayan gorge.