17 killed as bus plunges into Gorge in India

At least 17 people were killed Monday when a passenger bus fell into a gorge in India's northern mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, dpa quoted a news report as saying. Some 20 other passengers were injured when the bus plunged into a 121-metre gorge in Paonta Sahib, 200 kilometres south of state capital Shimla, the IANS news agency reported. District police chief Sumedha Dwivedi said all 17 victims died on the scene. The death toll could increase, he added, with some of the passengers sustaining serious injuries. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, but survivors said the driver lost control of the vehicle.