24 dead after a dilapidated bus skids into a deep gorge in northern India

A poorly maintained bus has veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India, killing at least 24 people and injuring several others

LUCKNOW, India -- A poorly maintained bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing at least 24 people and injuring several others, officials said.

The accident occurred in Almora district in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. The bus was carrying 42 people and 24 bodies have been recovered, said Vineet Pal, a state government official.

Teams of rescue and relief workers were deployed to the site and authorities said the death toll may rise as they work to rescue passengers who may still be trapped inside.

The state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the teams are working to quickly evacuate the injured passengers to the nearest health center for treatment and that authorities have been instructed to airlift those seriously hurt.

The state government has opened an investigation into the accident, Pal said, adding that preliminary information suggested that the dilapidated bus skidded before tumbling down a 60 meter- (200-foot-) -deep gorge. A number of passengers managed to escape or were thrown out by the impact, and then alerted authorities about the accident. He added that two transport officials have been suspended for approving a bus that was in poor condition.

India has some of the highest road death rates in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

In July, at least 18 people died after a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh state. In May, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded and rolled into a deep gorge on a mountainous highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 21 people.