Shimla: At least six passengers were killed and 18 injured on Friday when a privately-owned bus skidded off the road and rolled down a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, police said.

The vehicle met with the accident near Dalash, some 125 km from the state capital, in Ani tehsil, a police official said.

Eighteen injured people have been admitted to the nearby hospitals. Most of the dead and the injured were locals.

The death toll could rise as some of the passengers had received serious injuries in the accident, said the official.

Survivors said driver probably lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a curve.

Locals started rescue operations before the authorities could reach the spot. (IANS)