Shimla, Sep 1 (IANS): Eighteen people were killed and 15 others injured on Tuesday when a private bus rolled down 200 metres into a gorge in Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, police said.

The bus was on way from Rekong Peo to Rampur town when the accident occurred near Nathpa, some 180 km from Shimla.

Kinnaur Superintendent of Police Rahul Nath told IANS over telephone that the bus skidded off the road. He said 15 people died on the spot and three on the way to hospital.

The injured have been admitted to Bhavanagar and Rampur hospitals. Most of the dead and the injured were from Kinnaur and Shimla districts.

Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Naresh Lath said help was sought from the army and the state disaster management authority, besides police and Home Guards for relief and rescue operations.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Transport Minister G.S. Bali expressed grief over the accident. The chief minister ordered a magisterial inquiry into the mishap.