2 bus mishaps snuff out 25 lives in J&K
22 dead as bus veers off road, falls into gorge in Reasi, 18 critically injured shifted to Jammu; 3 killed in Rajouri accident
JAMMU: At least 25 people were killed and 54 others injured in two bus mishaps in Reasi and Rajouri districts of Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday.
A bus, on way from Bakal to Reasi, 80 km from Jammu, rolled down into a gorge near the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) colony in Jyotipuram around 4 pm, killing 15 people on the spot while seven others succumbed to their injuries while being shifted to the hospital.
“The accident occurred due to the driver’s negligence. He had parked the bus on a slope near the State Bank of India branch in Jyotipuram and was busy getting some cement bags loaded on the roof. Suddenly, the bus started moving and in no time plunged into a gorge,” said an eyewitness.
Reasi-Udhampur range deputy inspector general of police Surinder Gupta said 22 people were killed in the mishap.
“Of the 40 injured, 18 have been airlifted to Jammu for specialised medical treatment,” he said. The death toll is likely to go up as many passengers are in a critical condition. Police have started investigation. Both driver and conductor are on the run.
Soon after the mishap, locals launched a rescue operation till the time the army and the police arrived at the accident site.
In Rajouri, 180 km from Jammu, three people were killed and 14 others injured when a mini-bus they were travelling in plunged into a gorge.
Rajouri SSP Suleman Choudhary told HT that the bus was on its way to Jamola from Rajouri when it fell into a gorge at Bindi.
Condoling the deaths, PM Narendra Modi tweeted: “My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate accident in Reasi, J&K.”