At least 30 killed when bus plunges 120ft down a rocky gorge after colliding with a lorry on new year day

At least 30 people have been killed when a bus veered off a mountain road and plunged 120 meters down into a rocky gorge, police in India said today.
The driver lost control of the bus after it collided with a lorry on a road near Malshej Ghat - a hilly tourist spot about 100 miles north-east of Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra.
The bus, carrying 40 people, then plunged down the side of the mountain and into the gorge 120 metres below on Thursday afternoon.

Scene: At least 30 people are thought to have died when a bus (pictured) veered of a mountain road in Malshej Ghat and into a 120-metre gorge

Wreckage: Police in India said the bus split open as it hit the rocky ground of the gorge (pictured)

Site: The bus, carrying 40 passengers hit a lorry before plunging off the road (pictured) and down into the gorge

The vehicle split open as it hit the rocky ground of the gorge - killing at least 30 people, a senior police officer confirmed.
The death toll continued to increase as rescuers found more bodies in the bus.
Another police officer, Hemant Patel, said two or three people were unaccounted for by late afternoon yesterday.

Height: This picture gives an indication of how far the bus plummeted down the side of the mountain road

Smash: The driver of the lorry (pictured) was also hurt in the crash, but managed to stay on the road

Tragic: Police last night said two or three passengers of the bus (pictured without a roof in the gorge) were still unaccounted for last night

Office Raghunath Yadav said seven people were taken to hospital with injuries, some of them in serious condition.
The lorry driver was also hurt but managed to keep his vehicle on the road.
Officer Patel said the badly hurt passengers were found scattered in the gorge and the bus was split open.

Aftermath: India police work at the site of the accident, which happened yesterday afternoon, last night

Hurt: Police said several survivors were taken to hospital with severe injuries yesterday

The victim's concerned families rushed to the site and later collected the bodies for cremation, he added.
The bus was on an intercity route and all passengers are believed to be Indian.
India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually.
Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

Broken: Glass can be seen lying on the side of the road near the site of the crash