JAMMU, India (Reuters) - A bus veered off a mountain road in Indian Kashmir on Thursday and fell into a river, killing at least 15 people, police said.

The bus skidded off the road while negotiating a sharp bend and rolled down 300 feet into the Chenab River, police and witnesses said.

"So far 15 bodies have been recovered, but the toll is likely to go up," a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Rescuers were trying to recover more bodies from the bus, but facing difficulties due to rocky terrain, he added.

"Only wheels of the bus are visible and rest is all submerged in the river," said a witness, who added he had seen at least 40 people in the bus.

Last month, a bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a canal in western India, killing at least 44 school children and three adults.

(Reporting by Ashok Pahalwan; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Alex Richardson)