Udhampur, Oct 21 (KNO): Two people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed and 17 others injured after a passenger bus skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge at Gulli Gala in the Latti-Basantgarh area of Udhampur district on Wednesday.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Udhampur Ananth Dwivedi said the injured were being treated and an inquiry had been initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident, with the role of departments concerned with transport, traffic and road maintenance also under examination.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the accident occurred in the Pachound area of Latti-Basantgarh tehsil along the Basantgarh-Ramnagar route.
Soon after the incident, residents, police and administration teams launched a rescue operation and shifted 19 victims to Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Ramnagar, where two passengers were declared brought dead.
The deceased were identified as Takshika (4), daughter of Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Chatrari and Sunita Devi (24), wife of Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Pachound.
Eleven injured passengers were referred to Government Medical College (GMC) Udhampur for advanced treatment, while six others remained admitted at SDH Ramnagar.
The injured referred to GMC Udhampur were identified as Savita Devi (31), Hardik (7), Vibhan (8), Rattan Chand (50), Ravi Kumar (47), Kirav Bansal (8), Kaviansh (8), Artti (18), Arshanya (9), Sulekha Devi (33) and Ankish Bharti (17).
Those undergoing treatment at SDH Ramnagar were identified as Shiv Dev Singh (24), Rohit Kumar (15), Navneet Sajan (15), Neelma Devi (50), Rajan Daghotra (18) and Ankit Kumar (2).
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. “Distressed to learn about the loss of lives due to a tragic bus accident in Ramnagar, Udhampur. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said.
Sinha said he had directed the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to the affected families and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah extended condolences to the bereaved families and directed authorities to ensure proper medical care and assistance for the injured.
The Chief Minister’s Office said it was in constant touch with the concerned authorities and closely monitoring the situation.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said two casualties had been reported and injured had reached SDH Ramnagar, with three among them being shifted to GMC Udhampur and three more ambulances expected to reach the hospital.
Singh said he had spoken with Deputy Commissioner Ananth Dwivedi to take stock of the situation and commended local villagers for their prompt intervention in evacuating passengers trapped in the damaged bus.
The minister said he had taken up the issue of construction of the Ramnagar-Basantgarh road with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authorities in Delhi.
The Deputy Commissioner said all concerned departments had been called in as part of the inquiry, adding that the findings would help determine the causes of the accident and steps needed to prevent similar incidents.
Police said they have taken cognisance of the incident, and legal proceedings have been initiated—(KNO)