60 feared dead as floods wash away buses
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-25 22:18

More than 60 people were feared drowned Friday after two crowded buses were washed away in floods in a southern Indian state, local officials said.

At least 10 passengers were killed when one of the buses was swept away near Pattukkottai town, about 186 miles southwest of Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, M. Veerashanmughamoni, a top district official told The Associated Press by telephone.

"The bus was crossing a jungle stream, which it could not pass," he said.

About three hours earlier, flood waters washed away a bus carrying some 75 people across a flooded bridge in nearby Ramanathapuram district, killing at least 20 people.

The driver and the conductor were among the 25 people found alive, and both were arrested for defying a police order against trying to cross the bridge spanning the Sanavali River, about 370 miles southwest of Madras, said J. Rajendran, the district's police chief.

Authorities said at least 32 people remained missing and feared drowned.

"We are just hoping many people swam their way to safety and did not get drowned with the bus," Rajendran said.

Persistent rains flooded most of Tamil Nadu state and disrupted road and rail services in recent days, and officials have warned of more rain. As many as 16 trains were canceled and 12 others diverted Friday.