12 killed as bus falls into gorge near Shimla

At least 12 people were killed near the Himachal Pradesh capital when a private bus skidded off the road and fell into a gorge on Thursday, police said.

This was the second major road accident in the State in less than 24 hours.

Initial reports said 12 people were killed on the spot, police officer Badri Singh told

IANS over the telephone from the spot.

He said the accident occurred at around 4.30 pm near Chaila on the Kotkhai-Theog road, some 45 km from here.

The bus was on its way to Shimla from Sharounta.

On Wednesday evening, 38 people, including 22 women and nine children, were killed and an equal number injured in Mandi district when an overcrowded truck skidded off the road and fell into a gorge.