Jammu: Bus falls into gorge, 35 dead; PM expresses condolences
In an unfortunate incident, 35 people died and 17 were injured after a minibus rolled into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Monday morning. The bus, having registration number JK17-6787, skidded off the road at Sirgwari. It was traveling from Keshwan to Kishtwar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his condolences. Here's the ground report.
Reportedly, the bus was carrying an excess of passengers
The minibus was overloaded and this might have caused the accident. Confirming the deaths, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner, Angrez Singh Rana, said, "Three injured were airlifted to Jammu. Another helicopter flew to Kishtwar to airlift more injured." Separately, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, called the accident "very very sad". Governor Satya Pal Malik announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh for bereaved families.
Take unfit vehicles and untrained drivers off the road: Malik
Meanwhile, Malik asked authorities to give the best medical treatment to the injured. "All the reasons for such incidents will be probed thoroughly and strong decisions will be taken in the next SAC meeting to ensure strict action against those responsible for such avoidable incidents," he said. He also ordered the transport department to take unfit vehicles and untrained drivers off the road.
Leaders like PM Modi, Amit Shah, Omar Abdullah expressed grief
Former J&K Chief Minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah was among the first one to express grief over the incident. Meanwhile, PM Modi called the incident "heart-wrenching" and tweeted, "We mourn all those who lost their lives and express condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest." Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed similar thoughts in a tweet.
Shah prayed for speedy recovery of injured
Rajnath Singh also expressed condolences
On June 27, 11 students died in similar fashion
As it turns out, over-speeding, bad roads, and overloading have caused several accidents in Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, and Poonch districts. Just last week, 11 students lost their lives after the minibus they were traveling in fell into a gorge in Pir ki Gali area.
Meanwhile, J&K has readied itself for the Amarnath Yatra
This distressing accident comes at a time when the northernmost state is prepared to host the annual Amarnath yatra. More than 40,000 security personnel have been deployed, CCTV cameras have been installed, and drones are being flown, to avoid any kind of mishap. The first batch of pilgrims left for the holy shrine of Lord Shiva on Monday morning.
