31 killed, 15 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in Kashmir

At least 31 people were killed and 15 others injured Monday after a bus carrying them skidded off the mountainous road and fell into a deep gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The accident took place near Keshwan village in Kishtwar district, about 210 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"In a tragic road accident here (Srinagar) today, a mini-bus skidded off hilly road and fell into gorge, killing 31 and injuring 15 others," Angrez Singh Rana, the deputy commissioner of Kishtwar, told news agency Xinhua.

According to Rana, of the injured, conditions of some were stated to be critical.

Police said the victims were locals travelled on an intra-district mini-bus to reach the district headquarter.

The death toll is likely to increase due to the critical conditions of some of the injured.

Deadly road accidents are common in India often due to overloading, bad conditions of roads, and reckless driving.

Officials say on an average over 400 deaths take place everyday in India due to road accidents.