At least 39 dead, 17 injured as bus rolls down hill in Doda
Doda senior superintendent of police Abdul Qayoom said 39 bodies had been recovered from the spot of the accident
At least 39 people died and 17 were injured after a passenger bus veered off road and rolled 250 metres down a hill in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Wednesday. The bus was on its way from Kishtwar to Jammu.
Doda senior superintendent of police Abdul Qayoom said 39 bodies had been recovered from the spot of the accident. “The deceased largely belonged to Kishtwar and Doda districts, besides few labourers from outside the J&K,” he added. According to report, six men among the dead are labourers from Bihar.
Some of the injured are said to be critical. Although the bus had a seating capacity of 52, there were 56 people on board.
“Around 11.50am, a private bus bearing registration number JK 02 CN 6555 met with an accident at Trungal Assar on the national highway (NH 244). Rescue operation is going on and men and machinery have been pressed into service to shift the injured for medical treatment. Details will follow,” read a police statement issued here.
The bus veered off the road and fell 250 meters near Trungal in Doda district’s Assar area. The bus veered off the road and rolled down a steep slope before falling on another road by the hill side. The driver lost control of the bus which veered off the road and rolled down. Locals were among the first responders.
The SSP said 17 people were pulled out alive from the badly mangled bus and rushed to a district hospital in Doda. One of the injured has since succumbed.
Manzoor Ahmed, a local, said, “There was chaos all over at the accident site and we first thought that there are no survivors.”
An official at the district hospital said that four critically injured passengers were likely to be airlifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.
PM announces ₹2 lakh relief for dead, ₹50k for injured
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the deaths. “The bus accident in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is distressing. My condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. ₹50,000 would be given to the injured,” the PMO said in a post on micro-blogging “X”, formerly Twitter.
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said he was “extremely pained by the loss of lives in the bus accident.”
“My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families & wishing for a speedy recovery of those injured in the accident. Directed Div Com & Dist Admin to provide all necessary assistance to affected persons,” he said in a post on “X”.
In 2023, 616 people have been killed in road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir so far.
According to data, the highest deaths were reported from Jammu, Doda and Kathua districts.
In 2022, 805 people had lost their lives and 8,372 were injured in road accidents across Jammu and Kashmir.
Political parties express grief, demand safety audit
Leaders from various political parties on Wednesday expressed grief over loss of lives in the Doda bus accident and demanded a safety audit of the roads in the region. Bharatiya Janata Party’s(BJP) J&K unit president Ravinder Raina said that the loss of lives is “deeply saddening”.
He said that the BJP stands in solidarity with the affected people and offers support during this difficult time. He urged the authorities to provide all necessary assistance to those affected by this tragedy.
Working president of the J&K Congress, Raman Bhalla said, “Saddened by the road accident near Thathri in Doda. In this hour of grief, I convey my condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the people who have been injured recover at the earliest”.
While demanding adequate compensation, Bhalla said roads in Chenab Valley have become a death trap and the authorities concerned have failed to fix problems on the road that connects Jammu, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar.
“The traffic police should act against the overloading and speeding vehicles on hilly roads that often lead to fatal accidents.The transport department and traffic police should work in coordination so that the traffic rule violators can be identified, and action can be taken accordingly,” he said.
Apni Party president Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari expressed grief and sorrow over the accident.
“The critically injured should be provided specialised treatment,” said Bukhari while demanding adequate compensation for the next of kins of those who lost their lives in the accident.
He also demanded a safety audit of the roads in Chenab region.
List of deceased
Raviti Devi of Nilhote Assar,
Vishu Thakur of Nilhote Assar
Chuni Lal of Assar
Devinder Singh of Prem Nagar
Ashu parihar of Bhata Kishtwar
Renuka Parihar of Sarore Kishtwar
Raghunath of Drabshalla Kishtwar
Saksham Parihar of Bhata Kishtwar
Shakeel Ahmed of Akramabad Doda
Hemanshu Raina of Manwa Bhaderwah
Rita Devi of Thathri Doda
Subhash Chander of Balgran Kishtwar
Javed Ahmed of Mantalai Udhampur
Rajesh Kumar of Chatroo Kishtwar
Nizam Din of Hanuman Nagar Bihar
Swarna Devi of Bakna Doda
Bhagwan Singh of Malotha Doda
Ratna Devi of Saroor Kishtwar
Mohammad Azad of Hanuman Nagar Bihar
Mohammad Yousuf of Billawar Kathua
Dharminder Sahgal of Batote Ramban
Anuradha of Goha Marmat Doda
Jasveer of Bhalessa
Simran Devi of Nagsani Kishtwar
Suresh Kumar Karsh of Bilaspur Chattisgarh
Nadeem of Meerut
Dilshad of Muzaffarnagar UP
Mohammad of Hanuman Nagar Bihar
Roshan Lal of Assar Thandapani
Munish Kumar of Drabshalla Kishtwar
Arun Kumar of Sarore Kishtwar
Etwari Devi of Bilaspur Chattisgarh
Ajgiya Bai of Bilaspur Chattisgarh
Six bodies yet to be identified
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