12 killed in bus accident near Sonapur

The accident, which killed 12 and injured 4, takes place when a bus plunge into a stream in Assam on Sunday.

At least 12 people were killed and four seriously injured when a bus plunged into a stream in Assam on Sunday.

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A police spokesperson said the accident took place near Sonapur, about 40 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati. The bus was bound for Guwahati from Silapathar in eastern Assam.

"The bus plunged into a stream some 25 feet after the driver lost control while crossing a concrete bridge on the highway," police official Debojit Deuri told IANS.

Four passengers, including the caretaker of the bus, survived the accident, with serious injuries.

"There were 19 people travelling in the bus according to preliminary reports. Rescue workers managed to extricate 12 bodies," the official said.

"Search is on by divers to look for three more passengers who could be buried in the stream."

A local television channel News Live that is covering the rescue operations showed images of the bus with the bodies dangling out, while police and rescue teams were trying to take out the corpses.

The injured have been shifted to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital.

Divers of the paramilitary Border Security Forces (BSF) are engaged in a massive operation to look for bodies in the stream.