SHIMLA, Nov 18 — As many as 23 persons died and over 21 others were injured in two accidents that occurred today in Sirmaur and Mandi districts of the state, according to official information.

NAHAN: As many as 13 persons died and 12 were injured when a private passenger bus (HP-07-3000) on its way from Renuka to Koti Dhiman fell into a deep gorge near Koti Dhiman at about 1 p.m. on Saturday.

According to information available here the driver failed to negotiate a curve near Lathiana village, about 52 km from here, due to which the bus met with an accident. The exact cause of the accident is still to be ascertained.

According to police sources, 12 persons, including three women and one child, died on the spot while another person succumbed to injuries in a hospital at Dadahu.

The injured are admitted in Dadahu Hospital and three have been referred to Zonal Hospital, Nahan.

The dead have been identified as Sahi Ram, Shyama Devi, Liaqt Ram, Chuhar Singh and Inder Singh.

The Superintendent of Police, Mr S.P. Singh, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Kaushal and other officers left for the spot with a team of doctors to supervise the relief work.

It has been learnt that the driver and conductor of the bus are safe.

MANDI: Ten persons were killed and 15 injured, 10 of them seriously when a truck carrying 35 members of the marriage party fell into a khud near Tikkar village near Kannamoor in Sarkaghat subdivision this evening.

The seriously injured persons were admitted to the Regional Hospital, Mandi, while others were admitted to the primary health centres nearby.

The ill-fated truck was going to Sundernagar from Gongla village.

Deputy Commissioner Prabod Saxena, SDM H.S. Thakur, ASP Vinod Dhawan, along with a team of doctors rushed to the site of the accident.

Mr Saxena supervised the relief and rehabilitation operation and made arrangements for sending the injured persons to the Regional Hospital, Mandi, and the surrounding primary health centres.

The Deputy Commissioner disbursed ex-gratia relief of Rs 5000 to the next of the kin of the deceased.