12 dead in north India as bus falls into deep gorge

NEW DELHI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 12 people died and some others were injured when their bus fell into a deep gorge in India's northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, a local government official said.

There were reportedly around 20 people on the bus when the accident occurred in Sainj valley of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district.

The death toll may rise as some injured are in critical conditions, said Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg, adding that rescue work is underway in the hope of finding more injured people inside the bus.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the accident is "heart-rending", expressing grief over the loss of lives in the mishap.