At least 27 children were killed Monday when their school bus skidded off a mountain road into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, officials said.

Three adults were also killed in the crash, Himachal Pradesh state transport minister Govind Singh Takur told the Press Trust of India news agency. At least a dozen people were taken to area hospitals, Daily Sabah reported.

Initial reports indicated that the bus driver was speeding and lost control at the edge of the gorge, with the bus crashing some 200 feet (60 meters) to the ground below, said police officer Sunil Kumar.

The accident occurred in the Kangra Valley, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of New Delhi.