12 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 12 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.

Several passengers have been injured in the accident and the death toll may go up, said Chamba Superintendent of Police (SP) Monica Bhutunguru.

She said a team led by Dalhousie Deputy Superintendent of Police has arrived at the accident site and rescue operation is on.

Officials said the operation to rescue the passengers is hampered by darkness.