At least 29 people were killed and nine others injured after a bus skidded off the road and rolled down a gorge in Rampur city near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday,. The private bus was travelling from Kinnaur to Solan, ANI reported.

There were around 40 passengers in the vehicle when the accident took place around 9.15 am, Hindustan Times reported. Rescue operations are under way. The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital.

The toll is expected to rise as the bus rolled down around 200 metres towards the bank of the Sutlej river.

“My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in the tragic bus accident in Himachal Pradesh,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter. “May those injured recover quickly.”