MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Up to 35 people, most of whom were soldiers, died when a bus fell into the Indus River in north Pakistan early on Thursday, The Nation newspaper reported.

The bus was en route from the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, to Skardu in the north. A conductor on the bus who escaped the vehicle on time is believed to be the only survivor.

The paper quoted bus company manager Mohammad Hasan as saying: "We have not found the wreckage of the bus yet, and rescue teams have been sent to the crash site."

The Earth Times website quoted Akhtar Abbas, a spokesman for the company, as saying the accident is believed to have been caused by brake failure.

"When the bus reached the top of a steep slope, it stalled, causing a failure of the hydraulic braking system. The vehicle came hurtling back and plunged into the swift-running river," he said.

A search operation is continuing, but police say none of the passengers are likely to have survived. Police say there were between 30 and 35 passengers on board, of whom 27 were soldiers.