At least 15 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when their crowded bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in India's northern Jammu and Kashmir state on today, news reports said. The bus was on its way from Poonch to Surankote when the driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into the gorge of the river Kalai, about 240 kilometres north of the state's winter capital Jammu, IANS news agency reported. The injured have been shifted to a hospital in Poonch town, the police said. "The toll could be higher," an official was quoted as saying. It was the second accident in the hill state in little over a week. Fourteen people were killed and 20 hurt when their van plunged into a stream on April 17 also in Poonch district. Accidents on India's mountain roads are common. Reckless driving, untrained drivers and poor maintenance of roads and vehicles are among the main reasons for the accidents. More than 110,000 people are killed in the traffic accidents in India annually, one of the highest in the world. -- SPA
