A day after a private bus plunged into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, killing 14 people, deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri ordered a probe to determine what led to the crash.

Agnihotri, who holds the transport portfolio, said an inquiry has been ordered into the tragic road accident that led to 14 deaths and injuries to a large number of people.

“The administration has acted promptly in the entire matter, and the injured are undergoing treatment in different hospitals,” he said.

The accident took place on Friday afternoon when the bus, travelling from Shimla to Kupvi, veered off the road and fell into a 500-foot-deep gorge near Haripurdhar village, about 95 kilometres from Nahan, the district headquarters.

The private bus was carrying far more passengers than its sanctioned seating capacity of 39. Officials said there were around 75 people on board. The vehicle landed upside down, leaving 14 people dead, including eight women.

The number of injured climbed from 52 to 61 by Saturday, according to a fresh list released by the district administration.

Many of the passengers were on their way to their native villages to take part in Boda Tyohar, the biggest annual festival of the Hati tribes of Sirmaur district. The festival, observed by nearly three lakh members of the community, began on Friday.

While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be established, local residents suspect the driver lost control after the bus skidded on frost accumulated on the road.

The injured are being treated at multiple facilities, including Rajgarh Government Hospital, Nahan Medical College and Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla. Those with serious injuries have been referred to PGI Chandigarh, officials said.