The bus skidded off a bridge and fell into a Himalayan gorge near the city of Jammu in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday.

It was travelling to the town of Katra from Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab.

Those killed were from India's eastern Bihar state, police said.

Officer Chandan Kohli told reporters the bus was overloaded.

The passengers were visiting the shrine of Vaishno Devi in Katra, which is highly revered by Hindus. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit it every year.

India has one of the highest road death rates in the world, with thousands of people killed and injured annually.

Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and old vehicles.