The accident occurred last night at around 2230 hours when the bus skidded off the road after the driver lost control and it fell into a 600-ft gorge, Nasik Superintendent of Police Nikhil Gupta said.

"The private luxury bus was overloaded and was carrying 76 people. According to the survivors, the driver had been driving the bus since the last four days," he said.

The bus was on a tour of shrines in the district and was on its way back to Nasik when the mishap took place.

The victims hailed from Mumbai's Warali suburb.

Nasik District Magistrate Yash Seturanchaoplingam said the bus fell into the gorge while negotiating a hairpin bend. The bus broke into two parts due to the impact of the collision.

The injured, including the driver, have been admitted to Kalwan, Vani and Nasik civil hospitals, he said.

District Collector S Chokalingam said rescue operations were going on and seven to eight ambulances have been rushed to the spot.

The bodies of those killed in the mishap have been shifted to the Nasik civil hospital.