Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 24: Tragedy struck the national highway in the wee hours of this morning after a bus fell into a 500 ft deep gorge at Nashri near Chanderkote in Ramban, about 130 km from here towards Kashmir, resulting in the death of five passengers and injuries to 38 others.
The ill-fated bus (JK08A/4933) was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar, with 43 passengers on board.
There was no other vehicle on the road when the incident took place at about 4 am. At the time the driver lost control over the vehicle, he must have been in a state of drowsiness and fatigue, SP (Ramban) Anil Magotra said.
Four persons died on the spot, while one succumbed to his wounds at the Ramban district hospital, he added.
After the bus skidded off the road, the tall timber trees restricted its free fall and it did not go straight away into the gorge. Had it not been so, the number of casualties could have been more, the SP felt.
Soon after the incident, CRPF cops from a nearby area, RR troops led by Lt Col Chauhan and cops led by Magotra started the rescue operation.
The injured were very carefully taken out of the bus which was trapped between the trees and shifted to the Ramban district hospital where four of them were declared brought dead by the doctors. One succumbed to his wounds in the hospital.
Four of the dead were identified as Shamsher Alam, son of Abdul Gaffoor of Jalpura, Nepal, Mohammad Rafiq, son of Khadam Hussain of Thanamandi, Rajouri, Mohammad Samiullah, son of Sanaullah of Bihar, and Mohammad Javed, son of Mohammad Hussain of Thanamandi.
Nine of the seriously wounded were later airlifted to GMC hospital here. They included Shankar (25), son of Mani Ram of Ludhiana, Kamla Devi (27), wife of Naka Ram of Ludhiana, Lachhu Devi (60), wife of Ram Chand of Ludhiana, Rehman Ansari (25), son of Rehmood Ansari of Nepal, Mukesh Kumar (20), son of Chander Mukhia of Bihar, Shahfasal (25), son of Sain Shah of Shahadra Sharief, Rajouri, Mohammad Iqbal (30), son of Mohammad Ishaq of Thanamandi, Rajouri, Nizamudin (16), son of Javed Ansari of Nepal, and Raju (20) of Bihar.
Seven of the injured were shifted to Soura Medical Institute, Srinagar. They were identified as Neim Hawari (22), son of Aslam Hawari of Bihar, Mohammad Sultan (40) son of Abdul Aziz of Kulgam, Mudassar Abdullah (31), son of Abdullah Dar of Noorabad, Kulgam, Mohammad Rafiq (22), son of Mohammad Ismail of Devsar, Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf (25), son of Ghulam Mohammad of Pehalgam, Shabnam (24), wife of Mohammad Yousuf of Pehalgam, and Mohammad Younis (20), son of Lal Din of Anantnag.
The injured who were undergoing treatment at Ramban hospital included Shehnaz (25), son of Mohammad Yousuf of Pehalgam, Danesh Mahtoo (17), son of Sheetal Mahtoo, Alam Din (33), son of Qadir Gujjar of Kulgam, Bacha Mian (36), son of Tariq Mian, Romeshwar (19), son of Jaggru Shah, Naimudin, Vikas Kumar, Fiaz Ahmed (22), Mohammad Kherati (55), Najamudin (18), Karan Kumar (19), Sarwan (22), Mohammad Ishaq (22), Kamlesh Kumar (28), Gopi (20), Izhar Alam (17), Hasmudin (20), Raj Kumar (20), Sandesh (20) and Bopinder Kumar (23), all residents of Bihar. Police had, however, registered a case in this connection. |
