SRINAGAR: At least 18 people were killed and over a dozen more injured Saturday when an overcrowded minibus plunged into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.

The accident took place in southern Poonch district, a police spokesman said, adding that 17 injured passengers were in a critical condition.

The speeding bus rolled down into a gorge while negotiating a sharp curve in the mountains of Poonch, police said.

“Seriously injured people have been shifted to (winter capital) Jammu,” the spokesman said.

Bus accidents are common in the Himalayan region because of a combination of bad roads, overcrowding and poor vehicle maintenance.