NEW DELHI -- Nine people died and 27 others were injured Wednesday after a minibus tumbled down into a deep gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.
Over 36 passengers were on board the bus when the accident took place near Sawjian, a village in Jammu’s Poonch district, authorities told the Press Trust of India.
Rescue efforts by the army, police and local villagers is underway, they added.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced in a tweet compensation of 500,000 rupees (about $6,300) to victims' families.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu also expressed her condolences on Twitter. “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured,” she said.
Last month, a bus carrying paramilitary soldiers in the Kashmir region that skidded off a mountainous road and rolled down into a river killed six and injured dozens.
Hundreds of thousands of people are killed or injured annually on India's roads. Most accidents are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.
