May 30th 2024.
Jammu: It was a tragic day for the pilgrims who were on their way to Shiv Khori in the Pouni area of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. A bus carrying them, mainly from Haryana's Kurukshetra, met with a terrible accident on Thursday, claiming the lives of 22 people and leaving 57 others injured. The incident occurred at Tungi-Morh, in the Chowki Chora belt of the district. The bus lost control and rolled down into a 150-feet deep gorge.
A magisterial probe has been ordered by the Jammu district magistrate to investigate the cause of the accident. The district magistrate also confirmed the number of casualties and injuries in the tragedy. The news of the accident has left the entire region in shock and sorrow. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of Jammu and Kashmir also expressed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
According to a police spokesperson, the bus, with registration number UP81CT-4058, fell into the gorge at around 12:35pm. It was carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and had started its journey from there. The bodies of the deceased have been taken to the Akhnoor sub-district hospital, while the injured have been rushed to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu. The injured are being given timely treatment to ensure their speedy recovery.
The Army, police, and local volunteers worked together to retrieve the bodies and injured passengers from the gorge. They used ropes and formed human chains to carry them uphill. The Army also used cranes to pull the bus out of the gorge, and the operation is still ongoing. The injured, including six who are in critical condition, were initially taken to the Akhnoor hospital and later shifted to the GMC hospital in Jammu for better medical facilities.
The injured passengers shared their account of the accident, stating that the driver was trying to navigate a blind curve when a speeding car came from the opposite direction. The driver's attempt to avoid the car resulted in the bus losing control and tumbling down the gorge. The passengers, who were on a pilgrimage to Shiv Khori, were from different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The Transport Commissioner, Faisal Qureshi, along with other officials, visited the spot and supervised the rescue operation. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic, confirmed that there was no overloading of passengers in the bus. The Divisional Commissioner, Ramesh Kumar, the SSP of Jammu, and the Deputy Commissioner also visited the GMC hospital to inquire about the injured.
The Lieutenant Governor expressed his deep sorrow at the loss of lives in the accident. In his condolence message, he prayed for the strength of the families of the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured. He also announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
This is the worst accident in the region since a similar incident in Doda in 2023, where 39 people lost their lives and 19 were injured. On March 29, 10 people died when a sports utility vehicle skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and fell into a gorge in Ramban district. Another tragic accident took place on July 1, 2019, when 35 people were killed and 17 were injured as an overloaded mini-bus fell into a gorge in Kishtwar's Sangwari area. In yet another incident on September 14, 2018, 17 passengers lost their lives and 16 were injured when a mini-bus plunged into a gorge in Kishtwar's Dandaran area.
The entire region is mourning the loss of lives in this unfortunate accident, and the administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected families. Let us pray for the departed souls and the speedy recovery of the injured.
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