Bus falls into gorge in Kashmir, 15 die, 18 injured

By Jitender Singh Jul 15th, 2012 ( No Comment )

Jammu: At least 15 people were killed and 18 others injured when a passenger bus skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and rolled down into a deep gorge in Ramban district, police and rescue teams said on Sunday.

The state road transport corporation bus was on its way from Kashmir Valley to Jammu, rolled down into Digdol nallah around 11.20pm on Saturday night, Times of India quoted a superintendent of police (Ramban) Anil Magotra as saying.

In the mishap, 15 people have died and 18 others were injured, some of them critically, he said.

Magotra, who led the rescue work, said the operation concluded on Sunday morning with the recovery of 14 bodies. One of the victims died at GMC hospital in Jammu.

The injured have been admitted to the Ramban district hospital from where some of the critical were referred to GMC hospital, the SP said, adding that most of the victims were outsiders.

“It appears that they are Amarnath pilgrims. But we need to verify the registration documents to give their account,” the SP said.