Shimla, Aug 28 - At least nine people were killed and six injured when a private vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Chamba, 475 km from here, police said Friday.

Additional Superintendent of Police D.K. Chaudhary told IANS that there were 22 people travelling in the Mahindra pick-up vehicle when it fell into a 100-metre-deep gorge Thursday night.

Most of the victims were returning from the Manimahesh pilgrimage, he said.

According to the police, the vehicle was overloaded with passengers at the time of the accident. This type of vehicle which is used for transporting goods is prohibited for carrying people.

However, such vehicles carrying tens of passengers are a common sight in the state, especially during religious occasions.

Naresh Kumar, an injured passenger, said rescuers had a tough time in extracting the victims from the vehicle.