At least 17 people died and more than ten injured in a road accident in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu early on Thursday morning, confirmed a local police official to Xinhua over phone.
"The mishap occurred at around 0330 hours when one of the tyres of the bus burst and it rammed into a truck coming from the opposite direction, after the bus driver lost control of the vehicle," said the local cop.
Meanwhile, local media reports stated that there were five women among the dead.
Further details are awaited.