A passenger bus has slid off a Himalayan highway in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 21 people and injuring about 45 others

SRINAGAR, India -- A passenger bus slid off a Himalayan highway and rolled down a steep, rocky slope onto a road below in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday, killing at least 21 people and injuring about 45 others, officials said.

The 42-seater bus was carrying more than 60 people from Ramnagar town to Udhampur city when it hit an auto-rickshaw at a sharp curve in the mountainous region, civil administrator Prem Singh said.

The bus veered off the road and fell down about 100 feet (30 meters) onto the road below, Singh said. The people on the three-wheeler also were injured, he added.

Residents and authorities rushed to the accident scene and launched a rescue operation. Singh said 19 passengers died on the spot while two others died in a hospital after their evacuation. The injured, some of them in critical condition, are being treated in various health centers, officials said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the accident and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families.

India has some of the highest road death rates in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

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