NEW DELHI: The death toll in a road accident in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has increased to 14, officials said Saturday.

Forty passengers injured in the accident, some of them critically, are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

The accident took place on Friday after a bus skidded off the mountainous road and plunged into a 500-meter-deep gorge at Haripurdhar village of Sirmaur district, about 142 km southeast of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh.

“There are a total of 14 casualties as of now, and many people are currently in the hospital in critical condition,” said a local government minister Jagat Singh Negi.

According to officials, the bus was carrying 66 passengers and travelling from Solan to Haripurdhar when the accident occurred.

An inquiry is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident, said India’s state-run broadcaster All India Radio.

Last year, over 480,000 road accidents were recorded in the country.  (Xinhua)