NEW DELHI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Nine people, including a groom, were killed Sunday after a vehicle carrying them plunged into a river in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.
The accident took place in Kota district, about 251 km south of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.
"Today in the morning at 7:50 a.m. (local time) we received information about the accident. Immediately a rescue operation was launched, following which bodies were pulled out from the car," a police officer said. "The car had plunged seven-eight feet deep into the water."
Reports said the driver lost control over the vehicle.
According to police, the car was traveling to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the accident.
"The death of nine members of the marriage party, including the groom, after the car carrying them fell into Chambal River is very sad and unfortunate. Have spoken to the collector and assessed the situation. My deep condolences are with the aggrieved families," Gehlot wrote on social media.
Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
Around 150,000 people are killed every year in around half a million road accidents across India, officials said.
India's federal minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari has said that the government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2024. ■
