J-K: 11 killed, 20 injured as bus falls into gorge in Udhampur

At least 11 persons were killed while around 20 were injured after a Basantgarh bound bus rolled down a 400 ft gorge at Keya between Ramnagar and Basantgarh.

At least 11 people were killed and 20 others injured when a Basantgarh-bound private bus rolled down a 400-foot gorge at Keya near Ramnagar, about 65km from here. Driver of the bus was among those who were killed in the mishap. The injured have been shifted to the sub-district hospital (SDH) at Ramnagar. An inquiry has been ordered into the mishap, to be conducted by Udhampur additional DC.

A passenger being shifted to a nearby hospital after being injured when a Basantgarh-bound bus fell down a 400-ft gorge near Ramnagar in Udhampur.(Nitin Kanotra/HT)

The deceased have been identified as Sunita Kumari of Balota Chigla village in Ramnagar, Sadhu Ram of Keya, Om Parkash of Rasli Gaden, Ashok Kumar of Udhampur, Des Raj of Keya,Hukum Chand of Basantgarh, Neelam Kumari of Basantgarh, Sudesh Kumar of Dehari, Radho Devi of Udhampur and Mohinder Kumar (driver) of Kirmoo. One victim was yet to be identified.

Two critically injured have been airlifted to Government Medical College at Jammu, while other injured are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Ramnagar and Udhampur.

The Udhampur district administration announced an ex-gratia of `1 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, `25,000 to those with critical injuries and `10,000 for those with minor injuries.

According to Udhampur deputy commissioner (DC) Sahid Iqbal, the bus (JK14- 7786) with around 30 passengers on board met the accident at Keya as the driver lost control over the vehicle. A team of district administration rushed to spot and the rescue operation was carried out with the help of the locals.

He added that as per the preliminary reports, the accident could have occurred either due to some technical fault or human error since the condition of the 5-metre wide road at the accident spot was good.

A passenger being to hospital after being injured in Jammu. (Nitin Kanotra/HT)

MP declares `6-lakh relief

Member of Parliament and minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh announced a relief of `6 lakh for the accident victims. The MP also spoke to Udhampur deputy commissioner and enquired about the medical aid being provided to the injured.