Srinagar, Kashmir  -  At least 13 people were killed and 28 injured when a passenger bus skidded off a road and plunged into a deep gorge in India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Monday.

The driver lost control and the vehicle fell into a 122-metre gorge in the Battery Cheshma area some 150 kilometres east of the winter capital Jammu on Sunday evening, senior police official HK Lohia told reporters.

"Thirteen people were killed and 28 were injured. Seven critically wounded passengers were airlifted to a hospital in Jammu while the others are being treated in local hospitals," said Lohia.

"An investigation is on to determine what caused the accident," he added.

Thousands of people are killed in road accidents in India's northern Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The crashes are mostly blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicles or reckless driving. (dpa)