40 Indian pilgrims die in a road accident

A flatbed trailer carrying pilgrims to a Hindu temple overturned and fell into a roadside pond in northern India, killing at least 40 people Monday, police said.

At least 12 people were injured in the accident in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh state, police official Brij Lal said.

The pilgrims were riding on the flatbed trailer pulled by a farm tractor on their way to a temple to mark the Hindu festival of Janashtami, the traditional anniversary of Lord Krishna's birth, Lal said.

The vehicle was carrying more than 60 passengers, most of them women and children, he said. Most of the victims drowned.

Ballia district is about 185 miles southeast of the state capital, Lucknow.

The World Health Organization says India has the highest total annual road death toll in the world.

Police figures show more than 110,000 people die each year on India's roads. The majority of fatalities are caused by speeding, bad roads, overcrowding and poor vehicle maintenance.

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