At least six children died and one fortnight were injuredtwo of them seriously, in the accident this Thursday of a school bus in the northern indiawhich the Police suspect occurred when the driver was drunk.

“The bus driver lost control of the vehicle, hit a tree and overturned. According to the latest information, six children have died, between fifteen and twenty “They have been injured and two of them are in critical condition,” he told EFE. Muhammad Jamalthe deputy superintendent of police of Mahendergarh district in the northern state of Haryana.

According to the source, the accident took place around 8:30 in the morning (3:00 GMT) in the town of Unhani. “It has been stated, although it is not yet verified, that the driver was drunk,” said Jamal, before indicating that tests are being carried out to verify if he was indeed intoxicated when driving the school vehicle.

Authorities are also investigating the GL Public School in the neighboring town of Kaninasince today is a holiday in the Asian country on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Aíd al Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Road accidents in India are frequent due to the poor condition of the roadsthe precarious conditions of some vehicles and the general lack of respect for traffic rules.

In 2022, 168,491 people died in India and more than 443,366 were injured in some 461,312 car accidents, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

At least fifteen people died last February, including seven children, when a tractor carrying a trailer full of pilgrims fell into a well in northern India.