At least 10 Vaishno Devi pilgrims dead, 57 injured as bus falls down from bridge in Jammu

The bus rolled own a bridge en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine; local MP seeks inquiry into accident

The wreckage of a bus after an accident ín which several passengers were feared dead, in Jhajjar Kotli, near Jammu on May 30, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

Ten pilgrims were killed and 57 others were injured when a bus heading for the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine rolled down a bridge in Jammu’s Katra area. Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore has demanded an inquiry into the incident.

“The bus was on its way to Katra from Amritsar when the incident took place near Jhajjar Kotli, about 15 km from Katra, in Jammu district.,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Chandan Kohli said.

The injured, many of them in a critical condition, were shifted to the Government Medical College, Jammu, for treatment. Reports suggested that the victims were from Bihar. 

Mr. Kishore said an inquiry should be held to know the circumstances in which the bus met with an accident. “Can a bus carry over 60 passengers? Was it the fault of the driver or some snag developed in the vehicle? An inquiry should be held into the incident,” he said.

Rescue teams check the wreckage of a bus after an accident in which several passengers were feared dead, in Jhajjar Kotli, near Jammu, on May 30, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh suspected human error as the cause of the accident. “It seems to be a case of human error. The driver was driving at night. Besides, the road is raised like a flyover and over speeding could also result in such a fatal accident. All these details are part of the investigation. There could be slight overloading in the bus,” Mr. Singh said.

The DGP said two or three passengers were “critically injured” and were “provided with the best care”. “The fact that the hospital was nearby and the rescue operation was started immediately saved many lives,” he said.

J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha termed the accident as “extremely painful”. The L-G approved the compensation of ₹5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident and ₹50,000 each for seriously injured persons.

President Droupadi Murmu, in a tweet, said: ”The death of many pilgrims in the bus accident in Jammu is extremely unfortunate. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. I wish the injured people a speedy recovery.”

Bihar CM announces ex-gratia

Expressing grief over the death of pilgrims from Bihar, mostly from Lakhisarai district, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the families of victims hailing from the State.

Mr. Kumar also asked the Resident Commissioner of the eastern State in New Delhi to take stock of the situation and ensure proper treatment to the injured.

(With PTI inputs)