At least 10 dead in India bus plunge, say local police

In India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.

2010 -- Himalayas-- Above the treeline, the forests and meadows filled with flowers seem a distant memory. Here there's no where to shelter when the sun dips and by the afternoon, jackets and hats offer a welcome layer of protection. (Jola Chudy for The National)
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At least 10 people were killed when a bus plunged into a gorge in India's Himalayan mountain region on Saturday, police said.

The bus was travelling from Dalhousie, in Himachal Pradesh state, to Pathankot in neighboring Punjab when it fell into the 60-meter (200-foot) gorge, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported, citing officials.

In addition to the dead there were several injuries, PTI quoted Monica Bhutunguru, a police superintendent in Chamba, as saying.

Darkness was hampering rescue efforts in the far-north region, she said.

The crash follows the death of six children and their driver in January when their bus also went off the road in the Himalayas.

Careless driving and bad, narrow and winding roads in the region cause frequent accidents, with vehicles often slipping into deep gorges.

In India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.