The mishap occurred at 11.50 am, and most of the people had huddled into the bus to reach to their work places in the district headquarter on time.
SRINAGAR: At least 26 people were killed and 19 others injured when a mini-bus, in which they were travelling, skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Kallai village in Poonch district of Jammu region.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Poonch-Rajouri range, MA Anjum said the driver of the over-loaded bus lost control of the vehicle, which plunged into the 300 feet gorge. “It was 28-seater bus and nearly 45 passengers were on board when the mishap occurred,” he said.
The mishap occurred at 11.50 am, and most of the people had huddled into the bus to reach to their work places in the district headquarter on time. “The bus met with the accident 50 minutes later,” Anjum said.
As the news of the accident reached the nearby army unit of 27 Rashtriya Rifles, they immediately rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. “We put our men and machinery into service and retrieved the dead and injured from the wreckage. We pressed ambulances into service and removed injured to the SMGS hospital at Jammu,” said Colonel DK Badola of Nagrota based 16 corps.
Police and civil administration also pressed their men into service to help the army in the operations. “Some of the bodies had been washed away by the gushing river. We managed to fish out some of the drowned,” Anjum said.
The DIG police said 26 people have been confirmed dead and 19 were injured. “Eight of them were in serious condition and they were removed to the Jammu hospital for specialised treatment,” he added.
The entire stretch of the Rajouri-Poonch is one of the most dangerous routes in the state. Several lives have been lost on this accident-prone road in the last few months.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti while expressing grave concern over the recurrence of such tragic mishaps in the hilly districts have called for launching a massive road improvement program in these districts to avoid such disasters in future.
J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad has also expressed shock over the mishap.
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