New Delhi - At least 23 Nepalese pilgrims were killed and 10 were missing and feared dead after their bus crashed into a river in India's northern mountainous state of Uttarkhand, police said Friday.

The bus, which was carrying 38 passengers, skidded off a mountain road Thursday night and fell about 46 metres into the Alaknanda River near Chamoli.

Five people survived and were being treated at a government hospital in the town 160 kilometres east of the state capital, Dehradun.

"Police and rescue teams have recovered 23 bodies from the river so far," Chamoli police chief N Singh said by telephone. "Most of the dead were women."

"The possibility of finding any of the 10 missing alive is remote," he added Friday. "There are strong currents in the river, and it is more than 12 hours since the accident took place."

The Nepalese group were touring Uttarakhand, which is home to several important Hindu shrines.

Police said they believe the accident occurred when the driver lost control of the bus on a curve.

More than 95,000 people are killed in road crashes every year in India, many of them in bus crashes in mountainous states. The death toll is among the highest in the world. (dpa)