10 dead as bus falls into 200-ft gorge in HP's Chamba: Officials

A private bus fell into a 200-feet-deep gorge near the Panchpula bridge in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district Saturday evening, leaving at least 10 passengers dead, officials said.

They said the bus met the accident near Banikhet in Dalhousie sub-division when it was travelling from Dalhousie to Pathankot in Punjab.

Chamba Superintendent of Police (SP) Monica Bhutunguru said while 10 passengers lost their lives in the incident, several others have been injured.

She had earlier put the number of deceased at 12.

She said a team led by the Dalhousie Deputy Superintendent of Police has arrived at the accident site and rescue operation is underway, but is hampered by darkness.

In a statement issued in Shimla, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the incident and directed the district administration to provide immediate relief to the affected.