At least 21 passengers have been killed and more are feared dead after a bus fell into a small lake in India's eastern state of Bihar.
The accident happened in Madhubani district on Monday when the private bus carrying more than 40 passengers veered off the road and fell into the water body.
"So far, 21 bodies have been found. The wreckage of the bus is being extricated from the pond," district police chief Deepak Barnwal said.
Witnesses said some of the passengers swam to safety.
The police could not give a number of people missing or feared dead even as a rescue operation was under way.
Local media reported the accident was caused as the driver was overtaking a vehicle. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
India's high rate of fatal traffic accidents, an average of 135,000 people annually for the past five years, is mostly blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicles, or on negligent driving.
