Forty-six people were killed in India when a bus driver lost control of his vehicle while changing a CD.

The bus was travelling between two tourist resorts in Himachal Pradesh state when it veered off the road and plunged down a deep gorge 10 miles east of the state capital Shimla.

Shimla's deputy commissioner Joginder Singh Rana said 46 people were killed and four people critically injured in the crash.

"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.

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