SRINAGAR, INDIA: A bus packed with passengers fell into a gorge in Indian Kashmir on Monday killing at least 33 people, a state official said, the second such accident in a week.

At least 22 people were injured when the bus skidded off a winding road in Kisthwar district, government official Angrez Singh Rana said.

Media reports said the bus was overloaded. Accidents are common in the mountainous region where many roads are in disrepair.

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Mailk said many of the drivers were untrained and he had ordered state officials to cancel their licences.

"Most of the accidents take place due to careless and untrained drivers who drive without any regard for rules and regulations," a state government spokesman quoted the governor as saying.

Last week, 11 students were killed when their bus fell into a deep gorge at a picnic spot in Shopian district.