Bus fire in India kills 6 and leaves 12 seriously injured.

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NEW DELHI – Six people were burned to death and another 12 seriously injured early Wednesday when a bus caught fire in southern India, police said.

The injured in the accident were hospitalized in Karanataka state, police official Srinivas Murthy said.

Murthy said the fire was caused by a leak in the diesel fuel tank of the bus which carried 29 passengers. Eleven passengers escaped without injuries.

The six bodies were charred beyond recognition in the accident near Davanagere, a town nearly 260 kilometres (160 miles) northwest of Bangalore, the state capital.

More than 110,000 people are killed every year in road accidents across the country, according to police. Bus accidents due to reckless driving, bad roads and poorly maintained vehicles are common in India.