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24 School Children Killed After Bus Collides With Truck In Uttar Pradesh's Etah

Fog was the main cause of the accident.
ANI/Twitter

LUCKNOW -- A truck loaded with sand collided with a school bus early Thursday, killing at least 24 young children in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

At least two dozen other children were injured in the collision when the speeding truck collided head-on with the bus, said Javeed Ahmed, the state's top police official.

The children, between the ages of 3 and 12, were studying at a school in the town of Etah.

Another police officer, Daljeet Chaudhry, said visibility was low due to dense fog.

Police officer Parasuram Singh said the truck driver suffered serious injuries in his legs, which were amputated in a hospital. He said the rescue work was over with all the children taken out of the bus wreckage.

The area is nearly 270 kilometers (170 miles) southeast of New Delhi.

The state's education authorities had closed all schools in the district due to a severe cold wave, and Ahmed said authorities would check why the school had stayed open.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the deaths. "Anguished by the tragic accident...I share the pain of the bereaved families and condole passing away of young children," Modi tweeted.

"I pray that those injured in the accident in Etah recover at the earliest," he added.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.