At least 25 people were killed and three injured when a bus in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in Nainital district of Uttaranchal on Friday night, police said.

The bus, carrying 36 passengers, was on its way to Haldwani from Nainital when it met with the accident, they said.

Nearly 22 bodies have been recovered so far, Deputy Inspector General Anil Raturi said.

Rescue work was being hampered due to darkness, he said, adding the police was using emergency lights to look for any survivors.