Patna, India— Seven people died Thursday morning when a commuter bus left the road and fell into a canal in eastern India, trapping passengers inside as water rushed through the windows.
The crash happened around 8:10 a.m. near Muzaffarpur district in Bihar. The bus was carrying more than 35 people from a rural block to the district headquarters. It was on a narrow embankment road that runs alongside a 12-foot-deep irrigation canal.
Police said the driver tried to overtake a tractor. The front wheel slipped off the edge. The bus tilted, then rolled into the canal. It landed on its side. Water entered within seconds.
Locals were first on the scene. They broke windows with sticks and pulled people out. Divers from the State Disaster Response Force arrived an hour later. They found seven bodies inside, including two women and a school student.
"There was no railing on the canal side. The road is barely wide enough for two vehicles," a Muzaffarpur police officer told reporters. "Overloading and speeding are also factors we are looking at."
Bihar's chief minister announced compensation of 400,000 rupees for each family of the dead. The injured, at least 15, were taken to Sri Krishna Medical College. Three are in serious condition.
The bus owner has a history of violations. Records show the vehicle had no fitness certificate. The driver, who survived, fled the scene. A case has been registered.
Canal roads in Bihar are known death traps. Thousands of buses use them daily because they are shorter. Safety barriers are rare. Locals have demanded guardrails for years.
Rescue teams drained part of the canal in the afternoon to lift the bus with a crane. The operation ended at 4 p.m.
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