CHANDIGARH, INDIA - Forty-six people were killed when a bus plunged down a deep gorge in northern India after the driver lost control while changing the music, officials said on Tuesday.

The bus was travelling between two tourist resorts in Himachal Pradesh state when it veered off the road 16 km (10 miles) east of the state capital Shimla, a state government official said.

Forty-six people were killed and four people critically injured, said Joginder Singh Rana, Shimla's deputy commissioner. The army was carrying out rescue operations, he added.

"The bus driver's attention was diverted as he was changing a CD in the music system and the bus was also going at a very high speed," he said, citing witnesses.

Reckless driving and poor road conditions frequently cause accidents with high death tolls in India. In October, at least 23 people died in a bus crash in the northeastern state of Assam.

(Reporting by Geetinder Garewal; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Catherine Bosley)