New Delhi — At least 36 people were killed and six others injured Monday when a bus lost control on a mountainous road in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand and plunged into a gorge. The bus was built to carry 42 passengers, but a senior state official, Deepak Rawat, told The Associated Press that it was carrying about 60 people at the time of the accident.

The bus was traveling from Garhwal to the tourist town of Ramnagar when it left the road, officials said.

Almora district officials launched a rescue operation and the victims were taken to regional hospitals.

Uttarakhand police shared video of rescuers working around the overturned bus, which was left stranded next to a river at the base of a steep hill, nearly 200 feet below the road.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a social media post that an investigation would be launched into the cause of the incident. Vineet Pal, another state official, said preliminary information suggested the bus was in poor condition and skidded before falling into the gorge.

The AP quoted Pal as saying that two transportation officials had been suspended for certifying the bus despite its poor condition.

Dhami also announced compensation from the state government of 400,000 Indian rupees ($4,750) for the families of those killed in the accident, and 100,000 rupees ($1,190) for those injured.

Dhami said emergency teams were “working quickly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health center for treatment. Instructions have also been given to airlift seriously injured passengers if necessary.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He announced separate compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,378) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees ($594) for the injured.

Road accidents are common in the Himalayan mountain districts of India, where buses are the main mode of public transport. Around 160,000 people die in road accidents in India every year (the highest number in the world), mainly due to reckless driving and poor roads and vehicles.

At least 18 people were killed in July when a double-decker passenger bus collided with a milk truck in Uttar Pradesh state and, earlier, with a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims. skidded and rolled into a deep gorge on a mountain road in Indian-controlled Kashmir in May, killing at least 21 people.