Accidents routine on 30-km Ramban-Banihal stretch of Jammu-Srinagar NH

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 6

Twenty-two persons were killed and 14 injured when a minibus fell into a gorge at Kela Morh near Marog on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district on Saturday.

Thirteen critically injured passengers were airlifted to military hospital in Udhampur. Two of them died at the hospital. Three persons with minor injuries were discharged after first aid.

Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range DIG Rafiq-ul-Hassan said the minibus was on its way from Banihal to Ramban when it veered off the road around 9.55 am.

“Thirty-six persons, including the driver, were travelling in the 20-seater vehicle. The driver probably lost control over the overloaded minibus, which fell into the 200-metre gorge,” Hassan said.

The police, with the help of the Army and locals, immediately launched a rescue operation and shifted the injured to the district hospital in Ramban. “As many as 19 passengers died on the spot,” he said.

Most of the passengers were residents of Banihal and surrounding villages and were headed to Ramban. The rescue operation lasted for a few hours as it was difficult for the rescuers to reach down to shift the injured passengers and retrieve the bodies.

Accidents appear to have become a routine on the 30-km Ramban-Banihal stretch on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, said a villager, adding that thousands of lives had been lost on this link over the years and no action has been taken to address the problem.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi has announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to next of kin of the deceased.</s>Twelve people were killed when a bus skidded off the highway and fell into a deep gorge near Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir. Several others were injured, the police said.

The bus was going from Ramban to Banihal on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The police said the injured people have been taken to a hospital in Ramban. Rescuers have reached the accident site.</s>BANIHAL/JAMMU: At least 10 people were killed and 15 injured when a minibus fell into a deep gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near here, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

"So far, 10 bodies were retrieved from the accident site, while 15 people rushed to hospital," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Rafiq-ul-Hassan told PTI.

SSP, Ramban, Anita Sharma said the jam-packed minibus was going to Ramban from Banihal.

On reaching Kela morh near Maroof, the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled down into the 200-feet-deep gorge, she said.

According to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, the death toll might go up as the rescue operation was still in progress and the condition of some of the injured was stated to be "critical".

He said police and Army personnel, along with local volunteers, are engaged in the rescue operation.</s>Over 15 people were critically injured when a minibus fell into a deep gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near here, a senior police officer said.

The vehicle was going to Ramban from Banihal. On reaching Kela morh near Maroof, the driver lost control over the vehicle which rolled down the 200-feet-deep gorge, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Anita Sharma said.

She said rescuers immediately swung into action and so far 15 people were admitted to hospital.

The rescue operation was going on, the officer said.</s>Seventeen people are feared killed and several injured, some of them seriously after a minibus which was allegedly overloaded plunged into a deep gorge in Ramban district on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday morning, police said.

Ramban’s senior superintendent of police Anita Sharma, however, told HT over phone that 12 were feared dead and 14 others were being shifted to the district hospital. The bus was travelling from Banihal to Ramban.

Deputy Commissioner of Ramban, Showkat Aijaz Bhat also rushed to the spot.

“The minibus was on its way from Banihal to Ramban and when it reached Kela Morh, it veered off road and plunged into a 300 foot deep gorge.”

The accident happened around 10.30 am.

Police, army, paramilitary personnel were pressed into the rescue operations

Bhat said the number of casualties is not exactly known.

“As of now I can say that there are 19 injured, out of whom 11 are being airlifted to Jammu for specialized treatment,” he added.

“One sortie has taken off from Chanderkote helipad and we are waiting for another to airlift remaining injured passengers to Jammu,” he said.

Bhat also informed that the government has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

The government has sanctioned Rs 5 lakhs for next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for injured passengers.

A local said that the driver Rehmatullah was an experienced driver and passengers always preferred him for his safe driving skills.

“But the minibus was overloaded,” he said.

There has been a spate of similar accidents recently in the Jammu region, usually involving overloaded minibuses.</s>BANIHAL/ JAMMU: Twenty-two persons were killed and 14 injured when an overcrowded mini-bus fell into a 200-ft-deep gorge on Saturday after its driver lost control over the vehicle on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Ramban district, officials said.

Among the dead were three members of a family and the driver.

Ten critically injured passengers were airlifted from the accident site to the Army Hospital at Udhampur and two others to Jammu, they said.

The vehicle was on its way to Ramban town from Banihal when the accident occurred at around 9.55 am.

The driver lost control of the "overcrowded" vehicle which rolled down the deep gorge at Kela Morh near Maroof, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Rafiq-ul-Hassan, told PTI.

The officials said 15 persons died on-the-spot, while seven others succumbed to injuries at different hospitals including two at Army Hospital where they were admitted after being airlifted from the accident site.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and leaders of various political parties expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

Malik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured, the officials said.

Local volunteers launched a rescue operation soon after the accident and were shortly joined by the quick reaction teams of police and the Army, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Showkat Aijaz and Senior Superintendent of Police Anita Sharma reached the site to supervise the rescue operation and subsequently requisitioned choppers to airlift the critically injured persons.

A total of six sorties were made by the Army's Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, a private airliner and a state helicopter.

"The critically injured persons were airlifted to the Army Hospital at Udhampur and Government Medical College Hospital at Jammu for specialised treatment," the DIG said and praised the rescuers for reaching the accident victims "in the shortest possible time", thus saving many lives.

Leaders of National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Panthers Party (NPP) expressed shock over the accident and called for adequate compensation to the families of the victims.

In their condolence messages, NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah prayed for peace to departed souls and strength to the members of their families.

PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has sought immediate release of ex-gratia relief and other assistance.

She urged the Jammu divisional administration to provide all necessary medical facilities to the injured.

Expressing sympathy for the affected families, chief patron of NPP Bhim Singh said, "Officials of the department concerned should be made accountable for careless execution by the contractors."

Three of a family died in the mishap -- Mohammad Rafiq Wani of Banihal, who succumbed at the Army Hospital, and his two daughters Farheen and Rukshanda.

The deceased also include Kajal Devi and Reshma Ismail.</s>Srinagar, Oct 6: At least 15 people died and 19 others injured in the accident where a minibus fell into a deep gorge at Kela Moth on Jammu Srinagar National Highway on Saturday. The minibus was on its way from Banihal to Ramban.

Eight injured people have been airlifted to Jammu.

As of now, casualties are not reported. Rescue operations are underway.

Last month, at least 17 passengers were killed and 16 more injured when a minibus skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge in Kishtwar district. The accident had occurred at Dandaran, near Thakrai, when the driver of the minibus, which was on its way to Kishtwar from the Keshwan area, lost control of it and the vehicle plunged into the over-300-foot gorge, near the Chenab riverbed.</s>At least 15 people were killed and 17 injured on Saturday when a minibus fell into a deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near here, a senior police officer said.

"Bodies of 15 people were retrieved from the accident site. Of the 17 injured, the condition of 10 were stated to be critical and they have been airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Rafiq-ul-Hassan, told PTI.

Ramban SSP Anita Sharma said the jam-packed minibus was going to Ramban from Banihal. On reaching Kela Morh near Maroof, the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled down the 200-ft-deep gorge, she said.

According to the DIG, police and Army personnel, along with local volunteers, were engaged in the rescue operation.

It took time for the rescuers to reach the ill-fated vehicle due to the steep slope, he said, adding the rescue operation was still continuing when last reports were received.</s>The police and hospital sources said that the condition of five of the injured is critical.

Srinagar: At least, twenty people including four females were killed and sixteen others wounded when an overcrowded minibus, they were travelling in skidded off the road and, fell in a 200-feet deep gorge along the highway connecting Jammu and Kashmir’s twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu on Saturday.

The police and hospital sources said that the condition of five of the injured is critical. They were among the ten injured earlier flown to winter capital Jammu for specialised treatment at city’s Government-run Medical College Hospital.

Deputy inspector general of police, Rafiq-ul-Hassan, said that the corpses of 14 passengers and the driver were retrieved from the accident site. He added that the condition of 10 among the injured was stated to be critical and they were airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment.

The ill-fated minibus was plying between the highway towns of Banihal and Ramban and met with the accident while negotiating a curve along the hilly road.

Ramban’s SSP Anita Sharma said the minibus (registration number JK19 1593) was jam-packed and on reaching Kela Morh near Maroof along the 294-km Srinagar-Jammu highway the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled down the 200-ft-deep gorge.

Officials said that the J&K police and the Army personnel along with local volunteers started the rescue operation immediately. However, it took time for the rescuers to reach the ill-fated vehicle due to the steep slope.

Ramban’s deputy commissioner Showkat Aijaz said that on seeing the condition of injured he quickly requisitioned for a helicopter to airlift them to Jammu.

This was the fifth such incident in past one month in the hilly Chenab valley of Jammu and Kashmir. More than fifty people have been killed in these mishaps.

Governor, Satya Pal Malik, expressed grief over the loss of lives in a road accident. He announced ex-gratia relief of `5 lakh each for the next of the kin of those dead and `50,000 for those injured in the accident.</s>BANIHAL/JAMMU: An "overcrowded' minibus fell into a deep gorge on Saturday after the driver lost control over the vehicle on Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district , leaving 20 persons dead and 16 injured, a senior police official said.Among the dead were four women and the driver. Ten critically injured passengers were airlifted from the accident site to Army hospital at Udhampur and two others to Jammu, officials said.The vehicle was on its way to Ramban town from Banihal when the accident occurred at around 9.55 am. The driver lost control over the "overcrowded" vehicle which rolled down the 200-ft-deep gorge at Kela Morh near Maroof, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Rafiq-ul-Hassan , told PTI.Local volunteers launched a rescue operation soon after the accident and were shortly joined by the quick reaction teams of police and Army, officials said.Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Showkat Aijaz and Senior Superintendent of Police Anita Sharma reached the site to supervise the rescue operation and subsequently requisitioned choppers to airlift the critically injured persons.A total of six sorties were made by Army's Chetah and Cheetak helicopters , a private airliner and a state helicopter."The critically injured persons were airlifted to Army hospital at Udhampur and Government Medical College hospital Jammu for specialized treatment," the DIG said and praised the rescuers for reaching the accident victims "in the shortest possible time", thus saving many lives.
At least 22 people are killed and 14 injured after a minibus falls into a gorge on the Srinagar Jammu National Highway in India's Jammu and Kashmir state.