At least ten people were killed and nine others injured after a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous road and fell into a deep gorge in northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on Thursday, police said.
The incident took place as a Uttarakhand Transport Corporation bus, in which 25 people were travelling, skidded off Rishikesh Gangotri Highway into a 250 metre deep gorge near Suryadhar.
The Trivendra Singh Rawat-led Uttarakhand government directed helicopters be made available to bring the injured to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The government also announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 0.20 million each to the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.
Search and rescue operations are underway, said a news agency.
