At least 13 dead in India accident after pick-up falls into gorge

At least 13 people have died and two others were seriously injured after a pick-up truck travelling in a remote and mountainous region in northern India plunged into a deep gorge on Sunday, officials said.

The pick-up was taking 15 people from Bayla village to Vikasnagar city in Uttarakhand state when it went off the road around 10:00am local time (0430 GMT), Dehradun district's Rural Superintendent of Police, Swatantra Kumar Singh, told AFP.

Singh said 13 bodies were recovered from the 400-foot (122-metre) deep gorge in a rural part of Chakrata town.

A five-year-old child and another villager, whose age was not disclosed, were taken to hospital in a serious condition.

India's vast network of roads is poorly maintained and notoriously dangerous.

About 150,000 people are killed each year in traffic accidents in India, according to the government.

Among the main factors contributing to the high number of fatalities are excessive speeding and people not using seatbelts or wearing crash helmets.