At least 30 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir Wednesday when a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous road and plunged into a deep gorge, police said.

The accident took place on a remote road in the Doda area, about 200 kilometers southeast of the region's capital Srinagar.

"Thirty passengers have died in the accident, caused by the driver's negligence by hitting the crash bar of the road," senior police officer Sunil Gupta told AFP.

"The bus tumbled down the mountain some 250 meters.

More than 25 people were also injured in the crash, Gupta said.

A video clip from the site showed a grisly scene of several dead bodies, as rescuers tried to help the injured.

Police said they feared the death toll could rise, with many badly hurt.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was "distressing" and offered his "condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones".

"I pray that the injured recover at the earliest," he said on social media, adding that government compensation of more than USD 2,400 would be offered to the next of kin of those killed, and USD 600 to those injured.