Jammu, Apr 20: At least 15 people were killed and 20 others injured in a tragic road accident after a passenger bus rolled down a steep hillside in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Monday, officials said.
The accident took place around 10 am near Kagort village in the Ramnagar area when the bus, carrying passengers from a remote village to Udhampur, lost control while negotiating a blind curve and plunged into a deep gorge.
Eyewitnesses said the vehicle skidded off the narrow road and tumbled down the slope, leaving passengers trapped inside the mangled wreckage. Locals from nearby villages were the first to reach the spot and immediately launched rescue efforts, risking their lives to pull out the injured.
Police teams, along with personnel from civil administration and emergency services, soon arrived at the scene and initiated a coordinated rescue operation. The injured were extricated from the debris and shifted to nearby hospitals, while efforts continued for several hours to retrieve bodies from the wreckage.
Officials confirmed that 15 persons died in the accident, while 20 others sustained injuries. Many of the injured are stated to be in critical condition, and the death toll is feared to rise.
The condition of the road and the sharp blind curve are suspected to have contributed to the accident, though authorities said the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed deep anguish over the incident and said he has spoken to Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Minga Sherpa, to review the situation.
“Just now spoke to DC Udhampur after learning about the tragic road accident at village Kanote involving a public transport bus on way from Ramnagar to Udhampur. Rescue operations have been immediately undertaken. Heavy casualties are expected. All possible assistance is being provided. The injured will be shifted for medical aid, and arrangements are being made to airlift the seriously injured,” Singh said in a post on X.
He added that he is in constant touch with the local administration as well as party workers engaged in the rescue operation to ensure that all necessary assistance reaches the victims without delay.
Authorities have assured that the best possible medical care is being provided to the injured, while further details regarding the identity of the deceased are awaited.
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