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38 dead after Kishtwar-Jammu bus veers off road, falls 250 metres in Doda: Police
Police said 17 people were pulled out of the bus in Doda district and rushed to nearby hospital. Some of them are in a serious condition, Doda SSP Abdul Qayoom said
JAMMU: Thirty-eight people died and 17 were injured after a passenger bus on its way to Jammu veered off the road and rolled 250 metres down the hill in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
A police officer at the Doda control room said the passenger bus was on its way from Kishtwar to Jammu, a distance of 200km that would ordinarily have been covered in five hours.
The bus veered off the road and fell 250 metres near Trungal in Doda district’s Assar area. “At least 38 passengers have died so far,” said Doda senior superintendent of police Abdul Qayoom, who is supervising the rescue operations.
Local residents were among the first responders Qayoom said 17 people were pulled out alive out of the bus and rushed to hospital. Some of them were in a serious condition.
“We are in the middle of rescue operations,” he said.
There were 55 passengers in the bus.
In a video clip of the scene after the accident, men and women were seen lying motionless on the street. Locals said they were dead.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 would be given to the injured,” the PMO said in a post on 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.
