Bus crash kills 15 students in India

Authorities in norther India say at least 15 children died and 30 were injured when a school bus collided with a truck Thursday.

"Some children are in critical condition, so casualties could rise," said Parashuram Singh, the deputy superintendent of police in the state of Uttar Pradesh's Etah district.

The school bus was carrying around 60 junior high school students. An initial investigation indicates the truck was speeding in dense fog, which likely caused the accident, the deputy said. Etah district administration had ordered all schools in the district to remain closed until January 20 due to cold weather, Satish Pal, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of the district.

India has a history of deadly road accidents. In 2015, the total number of traffic accidents increased 2.5 percent to 501,423, from 489,400 in 2014, according to the country's transport and highways ministry. Traffic-related deaths increased 4.6 percent to 146,133 in 2015, from 139,671 in 2014