'Eighteen killed' in India crash

At least 18 people have been killed in a collision between a truck and an oil tanker in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police say.

The truck ended up in a ditch after the collision on a road near the town of Meerut, some 450km (280 miles) from the state capital, Lucknow.

The truck was carrying people who were returning from a family wedding from Bhagpat town.

Road accidents are common and claim thousands of lives every year in India.

Most of the accidents are blamed on reckless driving, old vehicles and poorly maintained roads.

Police said the truck driver lost control and collided with the oil tanker.

"The truck driver lost control of the vehicle and collided head-on with the oil tanker. Eleven people died on the spot and seven others succumbed to their injuries in a hospital," senior official Suresh Srivastava told the Associated Press.

The bride and bridegroom, who were travelling in a separate car, were not hurt, he said.

A number of injured people were moved to a hospital in Meerut.

According to one estimate, there are some 1.4m serious road accidents every year in India.

Last month, at least 50 people were killed after a bus fell into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir.