NEW DELHI, Sept 7: At least 80 people died and scores more were hurt when a truck and trailer crowded with pilgrims plunged into a gorge in India’s desert state of Rajasthan on Friday, police said.

The accident happened after dark near Desuri Ki Naal village in the northern state’s Rajsamund district, some 150 kilometres from Udaipur, police told local news agencies.

The driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp bend and smashed through a protective roadside wall, plunging into the 80-feet-deep gorge, said superintendent Rupinder Singh.

He told United News of India (UNI) that 80 bodies had been recovered from the crash site and “casualties were likely to rise as many people were trapped under the trailer.”As many as 200 people were packed into the vehicles.

The PTI said more than 130 people were injured in the crash.

The pilgrims were travelling to the shrine of Muslim sufi saint Ramdevra, who is revered by both Hindus and Muslims, in neighbouring Jaisalmer district.

Cranes aided by searchlights were involved in the rescue operation, which UNI said was on a “war footing”.

Major accidents are common in India where bad roads, overloaded, ill-maintained vehicles and careless driving combine into a lethal cocktail.—AFP