NEW DELHI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people have died in two separate mishaps in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on New Year's Eve, police said on Monday.
While five people drowned in a river in the state's Burdwan district while out on a picnic, five others were killed in a road accident in Hooghly district, both some two hours' drive from West Bengal's capital Kolkata.
"Five men, all in their 20s, drowned in Damodar river near Burnpur in Burdwan after being sucked into the waters due to strong currents while on a picnic on the banks. Their bodies were later fished out of the waters," a police official said.
In the second incident, five people were killed when the car in which they were travelling was hit by a speeding truck in Hooghly.
"The impact of the crash was so severe that all of them died on the spot. The victims were returning to their homes in the district from a nearby seaside town when the accident occurred Sunday evening," another police official said.
Police have arrested the truck driver and seized the vehicle. "The driver has been booked for rash and negligent driving. A probe has also been ordered into the incident," he said.
Road accidents occur in India mostly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.
