Twenty people, most of them women and children, were killed when their vehicle fell into a large drain in India's eastern Bihar sate, news reports said Tuesday.
The driver of the packed jeep lost control while negotiating a bend on a water-logged road on the outskirts of Bihar capital Patna, IANS news agency reported quoting local police official KK Singh.
The dead included 10 women and nine children. All of them belonged to Mahangupur village, also on the outskirts of Patna, reported dpa.
"They were returning to the village after attending a wedding in Patna. They were related to the bride's family," Arvind Kumar, a relative of the victims, said.
The road was submerged under a foot of water and the driver may have failed to notice the drain that ran adjacent to the road, the report said.
Road accidents are common in India, especially during the rainy season. Most of them are caused by the poor condition of roads and vehicles and reckless driving.
The Bihar government has ordered a probe into the accident and announced compensation of 100,000 rupees (about 2,319 dollars) for each of the bereaved families.
Relatives said there were as many as 25 people in the jeep and the police were searching for the rest of the passengers.