Tragic accident in J&K : 22 dead, several injured after bus falls into deep gorge in Akhnoor
Tragic accident in J&K : In a tragic and dreadful incident, at least 22 dead and several injured after a bus fell into a deep gorge in the Akhnoor region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The spine-chilling incident unfolded when the bus was enroute to Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district from Jammu.
The bus was carrying passengers from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
The bus fell into a gorge near Kali Dhar Mandir on the Jammu-Poonch highway.
Meanwhile, an ex-gratia of Rs 5 Lakh to be given to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the tragic bus accident in Akhnoor, Jammu.
J&K | Akhnoor bus accident | Till now 15 casualties have been reported and 15 people have been injured in the incident: Rajinder Singh Tara, Transport Commissioner, J&K https://t.co/c5cfObj1Hn — ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024
The bus was carrying about 50 passengers and the pilgrims were mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana
The injured were taken to a local hospital in Akhnoor and the Government Medical College in Jammu. In a statement, the District Magistrate of Jammu said, "A bus carrying passengers from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, has met with an accident near Tanda, Akhnoor in Jammu. Rescue operations are underway."
Expressing deepest condolences to the bereaved families, President of India Droupadi Murmu tweets, "Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured."
Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured. — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 30, 2024
Meanwhile, Rajinder Singh Tara, Transport Commissioner, J&K says, " The bus was going towards Shiv Khori. The cut here is very ordinary and there shouldn't have been any difficulty, but maybe the driver fell asleep, he couldn't negotiate the cut. Instead of taking the turn, bus went straight and then went down...there are around 15 casualties and around 15 are injured. Injured are admitted at a hospital in Akhnoor and those who are in critical condition are being referred to Jammu"
#WATCH | Rajinder Singh Tara, Transport Commissioner, J&K says, " The bus was going towards Shiv Khori. The cut here is very ordinary and there shouldn't have been any difficulty, but maybe the driver fell asleep, he couldn't negotiate the cut. Instead of taking the turn, bus… https://t.co/c5cfObjzwV pic.twitter.com/JPchJ8G5Jd — ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024
As the community mourns the loss of 22 lives, there is a renewed call for enhancing road safety measures and ensuring that such tragedies are prevented in the future.
More details are awaited.
- With inputs from agencies
