Jammu | At least 30 passengers, mostly students of a nursing college, were injured Tuesday when a private mini-bus skidded off the road and fell into a ditch in Udhampur district, officials said.

The mini-bus was headed for Udhampur from Salmari when it met with an accident near village Farma around 12.30 pm, they said.

Authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and rushed 30 passengers to Government Medical College Hospital in Udhampur for treatment.

Three of the wounded were declared "serious" and were in the process of being sent to Jammu for specialised treatment, officials said.

Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai visited the hospital to take stock of the situation.

"Some 30 to 35 persons were travelling in the minibus which, according to preliminary information, fell into a gorge after experiencing brake failure," she told reporters.

She said an inquiry will be initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident.