At least 64 people were feared killed when a truck and a bus plunged into deep gorges in separate accidents in India, police said on Saturday.
In the northern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, at least 35 people were believed killed when the driver lost control of an overcrowded bus, sending it hurtling down a steep gorge near the state capital Itanagar, a police official said.
"The terrain is so rough that rescue teams took a long time to reach the site of the accident," the official, H.N. Singh, told AFP by telephone from Itanagar.
"Preliminary estimates suggest the death toll could be 35 although it could be even more. It is unlikely there would be any survivors as the spot where the bus finally landed is rocky."
Incessant rains and heavy mudslides in the state could have been the cause of the accident, the official said, adding that the bus had been carrying at least 45 passengers.
In the northern Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, at least 29 bodies were recovered Saturday after a truck carrying workers plunged into a gorge in a remote forested region late Friday, a police spokesman said.
"Police and volunteers rushed to the spot early on Saturday after 26 bodies were recovered in the night by villagers," said Rati Ram, a police official.
Three more bodies were found under the smashed truck at first light Saturday, said another official, G.R. Bharti.
According to survivors, the driver lost control of the vehicle on a winding narrow mountain road, causing it to roll down the mountain.
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