Ten passengers were killed when a vehicle plunged into a deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in J&K on March 29, amid inclement weather.
Officials said the passenger taxi rolled down a deep gorge near the Battery Chashma area in the Ramban district in a pre-dawn accident. The area was witnessing a major rainfall when the taxi rolled down around 300 meters, officials said.
Local volunteers joined the Ramban Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to navigate the challenging terrain and trace the bodies.
Officials could not immediately confirm the exact cause of the accident. The taxi, carrying non-locals, was travelling from Jammu to the Kashmir valley.
Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha has expressed shock and grief over the loss of lives in the Ramban road accident. “I have issued instructions to the District Administration and Divisional Commissioner to render all assistance, as provided in the rule, to the kin of victims,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the accident. He announced ex-gratia of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given 50,000 rupees. In his message, the PM also prayed for a quick recovery of the injured.
In a separate incident, a massive avalanche swept the Hung area of the tourist destination of Sonamarg in Ganderbal district. The police said the avalanche hit two vehicles and all the passengers, mainly tourists, were rescued safely from the spot.
