Srinagar (India) (AFP) – At least 35 people were killed Monday when an overcrowded bus plunged into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.
It was the second deadly crash in less than a week in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, renowned for its mountainous terrain and abysmal road safety record.
The bus skidded off a road in the remote Kishtwar region and fell into a deep, narrow valley, senior police official M. K. Sinha said.
Thirty-five people died in the accident and 17 were injured, local official Angrez Singh Rana said.
Seven of the injured were in critical condition and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, he said.
A separate crash on Monday in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh state killed three school students and their driver, the Press Trust of India reported.
Last week, 11 students on their way to a picnic were killed when their bus fell into a gorge in Shopian district of Kashmir, officials said.
Some 150,000 people die in road accidents on average each year in India, according to official figures.
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