At least 25 dead after bus falls into gorge in Indian Himalayas

The wreckage of a passenger bus that fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh state, India, on July 4. On average, 150,000 people are killed each year in traffic accidents in India, according to government figures. APShow less

At least 25 people have died and about a dozen are missing after a bus carrying a wedding party fell into a mountain gorge in the Indian Himalayas, police said.

More than 45 passengers were on the bus when it reportedly lost control and swerved before plunging into a gorge late on Tuesday in a remote region in the mountains of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand state.

“We have recovered 25 bodies and rescued 11 persons, but we are expecting more casualties," G L Kohli, police chief of Kotdwar, the regional headquarters, told The National.

Mr Kohli said emergency rescue teams were struggling to reach the accident scene because of the steep mountain slopes and bad weather.

The picturesque Uttarakhand state has some of the country’s most notorious and dangerous roads that crisscross the mighty Himalaya range, and road accidents are frequent.

Experts say speeding and poor road designs contribute to the deadly crashes.

More than 20 Hindu pilgrims were killed in June after a bus they were travelling in plunged into a mountain gorge in Uttarkashi region.

On average, 150,000 people are killed each year in traffic accidents in India, according to government figures.

Authorities in Uttarkashi were separately battling to rescue dozens of mountaineers near a Himalayan peak after they were hit by an avalanche early on Tuesday.

At least four trainee mountaineers were killed and 26 others were trapped in a crevasse as an aerial rescue operation was called off because of bad weather and poor light.