13 Amarnath pilgrims injured as bus rams into parked truck

Tragedy hit Amarnath Yatra after a bus carrying pilgrims to Pahalgam base camp rammed into a parked truck on the Jammu-Srinagar National highway, injuring 13 pilgrims, including two women near the Birma Bridge in the Udhampur district of Jammu division.

District Development Commissioner of Udhampur Ravinder Kumar told DNA that the accident happened at 5 am when the Tempo Traveler bus was on its way to Pahalgam from Jammu.

“There was truck parked on the roadside. The driver rammed the bus into the truck. Thirteen pilgrims were injured in the accident,” he said.

All the injured were immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. “Ten of them are fine and three are being treated for their wounds as they have suffered fractures. Since police were accompanying the bus, they immediately shifted the injured to hospital within 10 minutes,” said Kumar.

The driver of the bus fled the scene after the incident. Police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the driver. “Police are trying to locate the driver. He will be arrested soon,” said Kumar.

Minister of state in the PMO Dr Jitendra Singh tweeted that all the injured are out of danger. “All the injured Amarnath pilgrims are out of danger and admitted to district hospital,,” he said.

1.5L Get Darshan

According to official figures, as many as 1,51,923 Amarnath yatris performed darshan of the Holy Shivling at the cave shrine till Thursday.