Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) At least 12 people, including 10 non-resident Indians (NRIs) from Britain and France, were charred to death and 10 other people seriously burnt in Goa when the tourist bus in which they were travelling collided with a tanker filled with acid, leading to an explosion and fire Wednesday afternoon. The gruesome accident occurred around 1.20 p.m. and involved four vehicles, including the tourist bus carrying 22 people, a tanker carrying acid, and a goods truck, a Goa traffic police official told IANS by phone. Among the dead were the drivers of the two trucks that collided. The police were trying to ascertain their identities. Goa Deputy Superintendent of Police G.P. Mhapne said all the victims were NRIs of Gujarat origin from the US and France. They were returning to places like Vapi and Daman in south Gujarat after holidaying in Goa. Earlier, they had attended a family wedding in Pardi in south Gujarat. Mhapne said the tourist bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number (GJ-21T-9540), was travelling from Goa to Gujarat on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway No.17. A goods truck with Goa registration (GA-01Z-1301) was trailing behind it on the busy highway. While negotiating a steep turn in the Western Ghats outside Pernem, around 12 km from the Maharashtra-Goa border, the truck swerved sharply to the right and collided with the bus from the rear and an oncoming speeding tanker containing acid from the opposite direction. With the impact of the double collision the tanker bearing Maharashtra registration (MH-04CA-1907) burst into flames that engulfed the tourist bus and the truck and another private vehicle. Even as some local villagers attempted to rescue the tourists, the flames claimed 10 of them and the two drivers. Those injured were rushed to the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim, around 15 km from the spot, Mhapne said. He said that since the condition of the survivors was serious, the police were yet to record their statements and get details like names, addresses to contact their near and dear ones. IANS http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=64132
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