At least seven people died and 12 others were injured when the bus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge in India's northern hilly state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, local police confirmed.

The accident occurred on the Bhikiyasen-Vinayak road of the state's Almora district. All the injured have been taken to the hospital, with several in critical condition.

There were 19 passengers in the ill-fated bus when it met with the accident.

xinhua