37 tourists killed in Maharashtra accident

 At least 37 people were killed and another 15 injured, including five foreign nationals, when a bus plunged into a river in Khed area today on the Mumbai-Goa highway near here, officials said.

Among the victims are at least five foreign nationals but authorities could not confirm whether they were killed or injured in the accident.

 The accident took place around 3.50 a.m when the Goa-Mumbai bus belonging to Mahakali Travels suddenly lost control on the Bharna bridge over Jagbudi river and crashed into the river, 190 km from Maharashtra capital Mumbai, said BL Shinde, an official from the highway department.

So far, 37 bodies have been removed from the site and there are some more injured passengers, including five whose condition is serious," Shinde told IANS. The injured, among them the bus driver have been taken to hospitals in Khed and Chiplun and some of the critical victims have been taken to Mumbai. According to preliminary and eye-witness reports, the accident occurred when the ill-fated bus was attempting to overtake another vehicle, though the exact cause has yet to be determined.