India bus crash horror as 24 people killed when vehicle plunges into deep gorge

The bus was carrying more than 40 people in Almora district in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. So far 24 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage, said Vineet Pal, a state government official.

At least 24 people have been killed, including including seven children after a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged into a 200m deep gorge in northern India on Monday, officials have said.

The bus was carrying more than 40 people in Almora district in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. So far 24 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage with more than 25 injured, said Vineet Pal, a state government official.

Authorities warn that the death toll may rise as teams of rescue and relief workers have been deployed to the site to rescue passengers that may still be trapped inside.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state's chief minister, said the injured were being taken to the nearest health center for treatment and that authorities have been instructed to airlift those seriously hurt.