Shimla: Around 45 persons including 10 women and girls, three children and 31 men were killed when a private bus plunged into river Tons in remote Nerwa area of Shimla district on Wednesday.

The Uttarakhand bound bus was on the way to Tuni in the remote area of Chopal (Shimla), when it skidded off the mountain and plunged into Tons river- the largest tributary of the Yamuna.

According to PTI, quoting the statement of Shimla deputy commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur, the accident took place on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border in Himachal territory.

The bus was carrying 56 passengers.

Shimla superintendent of police D. W. Negi said 45 bodies have been recovered and the search is on for the rest.

The police along with the medical and rescue teams have been mobilised from Sirmaur and Shimla districts to help the rescue and relief operations at the spot, about 190 km from here.

Additional Chief Secretary (Disaster management) Tarun Shridhar said that this was the biggest and horrifying accident in the area. Shridhar said his counterpart from Uttarakhand government also spoke over the phone and sought help in providing medical care to the survivers .