Bus carrying Indian pilgrims plunges into Himalayan river

A bus carrying Hindu pilgrims has plunged into a mountain river in northern India, killing 25 people.

The bus skidded into the Alaknanda River in the holy town of Vishnuprayag, approximately 180 miles northwest of New Delhi.

It carried 32 people being driven to a Himalayan shrine.

Seven pilgrims were pulled out of the river alive but with seriously injuries. Four bodies have been found and the other 21 people on the bus are believed dead.

"There is a remote possibility of any one surviving," said Deputy Inspector General LP Mishra.

Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims, and Indian and foreign tourists, travel the mountain route each year through the towns of Vishnuprayag and Joshimath. They are located in the Himalayan state of Uttaranchal.