• Deepesh Chandra Kala said at least 44 people were killed in the tragic accident 
  • Bus – carrying commuters – skidded and fell into a 700-foot gorge in Uttarakhand
  • Senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal said rescue bid being hampered by weather

By Iain Burns For Mailonline and Wires

Published: 08:13 BST, 1 July 2018 | Updated: 08:17 BST, 1 July 2018

At least 44 people have been killed in northern India after a bus crashed into a gorge in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand today.

Deepesh Chandra Kala, a disaster management officer from Pauri Garhwal district where the accident occurred, told AFP: ‘Forty-four people have died in the accident. 

‘At least 3 others are injured. The rescue work is still ongoing.’ 

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state Trivendra Rawat said the bus skidded and fell into a 700-foot deep gorge. 

Rawat said about a dozen others are injured.

Senior police official Sanjay Gunjiyal says rescue work is being hampered by bad weather.

He said rescuers have so far pulled out 20 bodies.

The bus was carrying daily commuters between Bhaun and Ramnagar.

India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. 

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. 

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