Thirteen passengers, including women and children, were killed and 17 injured after a bus plunged into a gorge in Poonch district in the Pir Panjal Valley of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
The incident took place around 9.30 a.m. in the Plera area. The bus, bound for Poonch town from Loran, was taking a hillside road with a deep gorge on one side. Locals said it skidded, rolled down and broke into pieces after hitting large rocks and boulders down the slope, landing near a stream.
Bodies recovered
“The bodies of all 13 passengers have been recovered,” said Rahul Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Poonch.
Seventeen injured were shifted to a local hospital. “Five critically wounded were airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment,” said an official.
Governor Satya Pal Malik, who expressed grief, has announced ₹5 lakh each to the kin of those who died and ₹15,000 for the injured.
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti expressed grief over the loss of lives.
Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also expressed condolences and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
The Pradesh Congress Committee demanded an investigation into the frequent accidents in the mountainous areas.
( With inputs from PTI )
