At least 22 dead and 69 injured after packed bus plummets into gorge in horror crash in India

AT LEAST 22 people have died and 69 are injured after a bus rolled off the side of a mountain into a gorge in India.

Many were rushed to hospital following a massive rescue operation launched by cops and volunteers and later aided by the army.

The bus is understood to have been carrying 91 passengers when it plunged 150ft into a deep gorge in Akhnoor area in Jammu district on Thursday afternoon.

Police and volunteers launched a major rescue operation at the scene of the accident near Chungi Morh on Jammu-Poonch highway.

Army personnel soon joined the rescue operation and moved the those with injuries to various hospitals.

Some were taken to a hospital in Akhnoor while others with critical injuries were transported to GMC Jammu.

Akhnoor health official Saleem Khan said 22 people died and 69 people were injured, adding: "The injured are under treatment."

Indian politician Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha described the crash as "heart-rending".

He wrote on X: "I condole the loss of lives and pray to the almighty to give the bereaved families the strength to bear the irreparable loss.

"Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured."

The politician said the government was providing assistance to the "bereaved families" and extending medical assistance to the injured.

Rs. 5 Lakh (£5,000) was offered to the next of kin of those who died, and Rs.50,000 (£500) to those injured in the accident.

President Droupadi Murmu said: "Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in #Akhnoor near Jammu.

"My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured."

State transportation chief Rajinder Singh said the bus was taking pilgrims to the Shiv Khori temple in the Reasi area of Jammu.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

India has some of the highest road death rates in the world.

Hundreds of thousands of people are killed and injured every year in crashes blamed on reckless driving, bad roads, and ageing vehicles.

Today's tragedy comes after a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat in 2022.

At least 132 people plummeted to the water and died in what was one of the worst accidents seen in the country in the past decade.