The death toll from a landslide that struck a private bus in India’s mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh has risen to 15, with one child still missing, officials and police said on Wednesday.

Two children were injured in the incident, which took place on Tuesday evening, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Assistant Commandant Karam Singh told news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

"In this horrific mishap, 15 people lost their lives, including 9 men, 4 women, and 2 innocent children, while 2 children were injured and the search for one continues," Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said in an X post on Wednesday.

ANI visuals showed the bus's mangled wreckage lying on a mountain road as rescuers dug through the debris for the 18 people buried when the landslide struck.

Other television visuals from the site showed some rescue workers clearing mounds of earth with heavy machinery while others sifted through mud-soaked belongings.

"The major cause of this incident is the rain that has been happening for the last two days in the region," senior police officer Sandeep Dhawal told ANI.

Heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding and landslides across India's Himalayan region this week.

At least 23 people were killed in West Bengal state's Darjeeling district until Monday, and 50 more in neighbouring Nepal, after continuous rain triggered flooding and landslides that swept away homes and roads.