38 killed, 17 injured in J&K as bus plunges into 400-ft gorge

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that the injured are being shifted to the government medical colleges in Doda and Jammu and all possible help is being provided. “Sincere condolences to the bereaved families,” he said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Sources said the bus was on its way from Kishtwar to Jammu. When the bus around 4 km away from Rajgarh on the Doda-Batote National Highway, it skidded off the road and fell into an old abandoned road 400 feet down.

Sources said that the ill-fated bus was overloaded as it had 56 passengers on board instead of the seating capacity of 38.

The driver, who was among the dead, possibly lost control while negotiating a sharp curve on the mountainous terrain, they added.

Rescue operation underway after a bus carrying passengers fell into a gorge in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. (PTI)

It was a brand new bus of the 2019 model and was registered in 2020, said RTO Jammu, Pankaj Bhagotra. The fitness documents of the bus were valid up to October 2024, he added.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed shock over the accident. “Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Assar,” he said on X. “My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families & wishing for a speedy recovery of those injured in the accident”.

He directed the divisional commissioner and the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to the affected people.

Former Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president, Omar Abdullah, expressed grief over the tragic accident. “Sadly for all the talk of progress & development we are not able to stop the steady stream of accidents, often with an unacceptably high death toll,” he wrote on X, adding “My heart goes out to the families of those who have died & prayers for those injured”.

PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased.

J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina and general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul expressed their condolences to the bereaved families and asked the administration to provide all necessary assistance to those affected by this tragedy.

Besides the Prime Minister, President Droupadi Murmu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed shock and sadness over the loss of lives in the bus accident.