Gangtok/ Kalimpong, Nov 30: Six people were killed and 15 others injured as a bus plunged into a 150-ft-deep gorge near the West Bengal-Sikkim border on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The accident happened between Andheri and Atal Setu, about 1 km from the Rangpo border, around 3 pm, they said.

The private bus, heading to Gangtok from Siliguri, veered off the NH-10 and crash-landed on the bank of the Teesta river, said SP of West Bengal's Kalimpong district Srihari Pandey.

The identities of the deceased and the injured were being ascertained, police said, adding that there was a woman among the deceased.

The injured persons were initially taken to a health centre in Rangpo for treatment and later moved to various hospitals in Sikkim, they said.

Police said the number of deaths is likely to go up as many injured passengers were very critical.

Among the passengers on the bus when the accident happened were some tourists, they said.

The bus, named 'Quality', used to operate daily between Siliguri, the largest city in northern West Bengal, and Gangtok.

The cause of the accident is being investigated, police said.

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Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.

The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.

The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.

“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.

“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.

Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.

Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.

“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.