22 killed as minibus plunges into gorge in Jammu’s Ramban
Vehicle was packed with officegoers, students
At least 22 people were killed and 14 others injured when an overcrowded minibus plunged into a 300-foot-deep gorge in Ramban district on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday, a senior police officer said.
The vehicle, packed with office-goers and students, was on its way to Ramban town from Banihal when the bus careened off the road at Kela Morh around 10.30am and fell into the gorge, Ramban senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anita Sharma said.
Among the 20 initially confirmed dead were some students of a college and the Government Higher Secondary School in Ramban, a teacher, a revenue department official engaged to be married, and the bus driver, the SSP said.
Twelve critically injured passengers were airlifted to the Command Hospital at Udham- pur, one of whom later succumbed to injuries.
Of the remaining injured, one was referred to the Bone and Joints Hospital in Srinagar and three to the district hospital in Ramban.
There were conflicting versions on whether the driver, Rehmatullah, lost control of the bus or it developed a technical snag.
“The driver, Rehmatullah, was said to be a professional driver, known for his safe driving skills. Apparently, the vehicle developed some technical snag. Its steering had developed some problem, causing the mishap,” SSP Sharma said.