Editor's note: The additional Superintendent of Police (SP) in Poonch, Masroor Mir has clarified that no such incident took place and it was a false alarm.
"It (the school bus) has not met with any accident. In fact, it has returned safely," TOIquoted the officer saying.
A school bus carrying over 40 students in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district fell into a gorge on Thursday afternoon, reported news agency ANI.
J&K: Bus carrying students of a private school from Rajouri's Manjakote falls into a gorge near Poonch's Mughal Road. Many feared dead pic.twitter.com/immZp5qAHx
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 25, 2017
The accident took place when the driver of the Gareeb Nawaz Academy school-bus, with 45 persons on board lost control of the vehicle, IANS reported.
"Forty children are feared dead in this tragic accident. Police and army teams have reached the spot and a massive rescue operation is on," the news agency quoted a senior police official saying.
"Chances of survival of the occupants are bleak as the vehicle fell 150 feet into a deep gorge," the official said.
The students were on their way to a picnic from Manjakote to Peer Ki Gali on the Mughal Road when the accident occurred at Mansar.
This is a developing story. More details are awaited.