NURPUR, India -- At least 23 children and four adults were killed in India when a school bus plunged into a deep gorge in the Himalayan foothills, authorities said Monday. Ten children were hospitalized with injuries.

Initial reports indicated the bus driver was speeding as he took the children home and lost control at the edge of the gorge. The bus fell about 200 feet, or 60 meters, to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

The adults killed included the bus driver, two teachers and another woman, officials said. Most of the children, some as young as 4 years old, were believed to be in elementary school.

The crash occurred in the Kangra Valley about 300 miles, or 500 kilometers, north of New Delhi.

People helping to rescue injured after a private school bus falls into a deep gorge in Nurpur, India, on April 9, 2018. AFP/Getty Images

"We have identified all the children and parents have been informed about the disaster," police officer Ram Nath Singh told Reuters at the crash site.

The search for survivors ended late Monday night, with the bodies of the dead lying on the concrete floor of the Nurpur mortuary, covered by sheets.

India's roads, particularly in the hills, have long been feared for their deep potholes, reckless drivers and often a lack of guardrails. Fatal accidents are common.

"I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. "My prayers and solidarity with those who lost their near and dear ones."</s>At least 27 children and three adults have been killed in India after a school bus plunged some 200ft into a gorge.

Police said the vehicle skidded off a mountain road and fell into the foothills of the Himalayas.

At least a dozen people were also taken to hospital.

The accident occurred in the Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh, around 300 miles from New Delhi.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi offered his support to the families of the victims on social media.</s>At least 27 children, some as young as 4 years old, were killed Monday when their school bus skidded off a mountain road into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, officials said.

Three adults were also killed in the crash, Himachal Pradesh state transport minister Govind Singh Takur told the Press Trust of India news agency. At least a dozen people were taken to area hospitals.

Initial reports indicated that the bus driver was speeding as he took the children home and lost control at the edge of the gorge, with the bus crashing some 200 feet to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

News reports said most of the children riding in the bus were in elementary school.

The accident occurred in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of New Delhi.

India's roads, particularly in the hills, have long been feared for their deep potholes, reckless drivers and, very often, a lack of guardrails. Fatal accidents are common.

"I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. "My prayers and solidarity with those who lost their near and dear ones."

Rescuers were still digging through the wreckage after nightfall looking for more survivors, Kumar said.</s>At least 23 children were killed when their school bus skidded off a mountain road into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, officials have said.

Three adults were also killed in the crash, Himachal Pradesh state transport minister Govind Singh Takur told the Press Trust of India news agency.

At least a dozen people were taken to hospital.

Initial reports indicated that the bus driver was speeding and lost control at the edge of the gorge, with the bus crashing some 60 metres (200ft) to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

File photo of a view of the Himalayas.

The accident occurred in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of New Delhi.

India's roads, particularly in the hills, have long been feared for their deep potholes, reckless drivers and, very often, a lack of guardrails. Fatal accidents are common.

"I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

"My prayers and solidarity are with those who lost their near and dear ones."

Rescuers were still digging through the wreckage after nightfall looking for more survivors, Mr Kumar said.</s>At least 21 children killed in India when school bus plunges into gorge in Himalayan foothills

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 21 children killed in India when school bus plunges into gorge in Himalayan foothills.</s>23 children die in India when school bus plunges into gorge

NURPUR, India (AP) — A school bus plunged off a mountain road Monday into a deep gorge in the Himalayan foothills, killing 23 children, some as young as 4, Indian officials said.

Four adults also died, said Sandeep Kumar, a local official. Ten children were hospitalized.

Initial reports indicated the bus driver was speeding as he took the children home and lost control at the edge of the gorge. The bus fell some 200 feet (60 meters) to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

The adults killed included the bus driver, two teachers and another woman, officials said. Most of the children riding in the bus were believed to be in elementary school.

The crash occurred in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of New Delhi.

The search for survivors ended late Monday night, with the bodies of the dead lying on the concrete floor of the Nurpur mortuary, covered by sheets.

India's roads, particularly in the hills, have long been feared for their deep potholes, reckless drivers and often a lack of guardrails. Fatal accidents are common.

"I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. "My prayers and solidarity with those who lost their near and dear ones."</s>At least 27 Indian children were killed Monday when their speeding school bus plunged off a mountain road into the foothills of the Himalayas, according to reports.

The bus driver lost control near the edge of a 200-foot gorge in the Kangra Valley, roughly 300 miles north of New Delhi, police officer Sunil Kumar told NBC New York.

“I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a bus accident in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. My prayers and solidarity with those who lost their near and dear ones in the accident,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

A rescue operation to look for potential survivors among the kids — most of whom were under the age of 10 — will continue through Monday night, Kumar said.

“The bus rolled into a 200-foot-deep gorge, killing 27 schoolchildren, two teachers and the driver,” local police official Santosh Patyal said, according to BBC.

Few other details were immediately available Monday.</s>Indian police say at least 21 children were killed when their school bus skidded off a mountain road and plunged into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Police officer Sunil Kumar says initial reports indicate the bus driver was speeding and lost control at the edge of the gorge, dropping some 200 feet (60 meters) to the ground below.

The accident occurred Monday in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) from New Delhi.

Kumar says a rescue operation is continuing after nightfall. Few other details are available.</s>SHIMLA, India: At least 30 people, including 27 children, were killed yesterday in northern India when a school bus plunged into a deep ravine in the Himalayan foothills, police said. The bus carrying young students home in Himachal Pradesh state flew off a cliff near Nurpur, about 325 km from the state capital Shimla, and crashed into a valley. “The bus rolled into a 200-feet-deep gorge, killing 27 schoolchildren, two teachers and the driver,” a senior local police official, Santosh Patial, told AFP from the scene. Most of the students were aged between 10 and 12 years and hailed from a local school, he added. Twelve have been rushed to hospital, most in a critical condition. Images from the scene showed injured children being carried away bloodied and bruised, some on stretchers and others in the arms of bystanders. – AFP</s>At least 30 people, most of them children, have died after a school bus fell into a gorge in a mountainous region of India, officials say.

Most of the passengers were below the age of 10, police said. The bus driver and two teachers were also killed in the accident on Monday evening.

The incident occurred in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

Road accidents are common in India, often due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.

Monday’s accident, which occurred about 325km (200 miles) from the state capital, Shimla, involved a bus transporting some 40 students from Wazir Ram Singh Pathania Memorial school in Nurpur in the country’s Kangra district.

“The bus rolled into a 200ft (61m) deep gorge, killing 27 schoolchildren, two teachers and the driver,” local police official Santosh Patyal told AFP news agency.

Eyewitnesses said the vehicle skidded as it turned a corner and left the mountainous road, India’s ANI news agency reported.

India’s National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) was called to the crash site and is continuing its efforts to reach any passengers trapped in the wreckage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office tweeted that Mr Modi was “anguished” over the news of the deaths.

 “My prayers and solidarity with those who lost their near and dear ones in the accident,” he is quoted as saying in the tweet.

Authorities in the region have called for an investigation into the incident.
A school bus plunges into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Himachal Pradesh, India, killing three adults and at least 27 children.