Seven killed, 11 hurt as landslide hits two vehicles in Kishtwar

TRAGEDY ON TARMAC All victims were residents of Udhampur

HUGE BOULDERS FELL ON MINIBUS AND CRUSHED IT; SHREDS FROM BOULDERS SMASHED WINDSHIELD OF THE CAR

JAMMU:SEVEN people died and 11 others suffered injuries after their vehicles were hit by a landslide in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. Police said, two vehicles — one minibus and a car — were on way from Thathri to Kishtwar around 11am when they came under the debris of landslide in Kuligarh.

As per police, huge boulders fell on minibus and crushed it while the shreds from boulders smashed the windshield of the car. The car driver was injured in the accident while other passengers suffered minor injuries.

Soon after the incident, police along with locals rushed to the spot and rescued all the passengers. They were shifted to sub district hospital in Thathri, where doctors declared five of them as brought dead.

Later, 13 injured were shifted to district hospitals in Kishtwar and Doda, while one passenger succumbed to injuries in both the hospitals.

Kishtwar senior superintendent of police Rajinder Gupta said, “Seven persons were killed and 11 others were injured in the road mishap involving two vehicles. Four of the injured have been referred to Jammu while others are receiving treatment at hospitals

in Kishtwar and Doda.”

PILGRIMAGE TURNS INTO TRAGEDY

The victims travelling in minibus were on their way to pay obeisance at the shrine of goddess Durga (Machail Mata) in Padder, Kishtwar. The 15 pilgrims were residents of Udhampur, as seven of them died and eight others were injured in the mishap. Three out of four members of a family lost their lives in the mishap while one of them suffered injuries.

Kewal Kumar, his daughter Askanta and wife Vandana Mathur have died in the incident while 10-year-old Vasu is admitted at hospital in Doda. While Ghulam Hassan, resident of Drabshalla, who took lift just few minutes before the mishap in the minibus also died.