HYDERABAD, India, Nov 3, (AP): A truck loaded with concrete stone chips rammed into a passenger bus in southern India early Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring about two dozens, local authorities said. The state-run transport bus was carrying around 70 passengers en route to Hyderabad city in southern Telangana state when a truck coming from opposite direction collided with it near the town of Chevalla, local district official K. Chandrakala told The Associated Press.

The front of the bus was badly mangled, trapping several passengers inside. Rajendra Prasad, superintendent at Chevalla hospital said 20 bodies have been moved to the mortuary and will be handed over to their families after verification. The accident came a day after a minibus carrying passengers in western state of Rajasthan rammed into a parked truck late Sunday, killing at least 15 people and injuring two others.

The passengers were returning to the desert city of Jodhpur after offering prayers to a Hindu deity in the pilgrimage town of Kolayat, officials said. Among the dead were 10 women, four children, and the driver, senior government official Shweta Chauhan told The Associated Press. The injured have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

The victims were trapped in the mangled mass of metal that the tempo traveler minibus was reduced to after the accident, Chauhan said. Senior police officer Kundan Kanwaria said the driver was trying to overtake another vehicle but crashed into the truck parked on the highway. "It seems the driver couldn’t even apply the brakes before hitting the truck,” Kanwaria said.

It is not uncommon in India for vehicles, especially trucks and trailers, to be parked haphazardly along highways, often without warning lights or reflectors. Such poorly marked stops frequently pose serious risks for nighttime drivers and have led to several deadly crashes in recent years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana's highest-elected official Revanth Reddy and Rajasthan’s Bhajan Lal Sharma, offered their condolences to the bereaved families.