Banihal: Two persons were killed and 12 others seriously injured on Saturday, when a passenger vehicle fell into an over 600-feet gorge along Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a government official here said.
The accident took place near Digdole in Ramban district around 10 am, when the driver of a taxi cab (JK03 A – 6391), on its way from Jammu to Banihal, lost control while negotiating a blind curve, they said.
A rescue team comprising police, Army, and local volunteers immediately swung into action after the incident, they said.
After hectic efforts, the team rescued 14 seriously injured, including two women, and four children aged between two and eight years.
The injured were rushed to a hospital where two persons were declared brought dead, the official said.
The dead were identified as Gulzar Ahmad, 19, son of Mohammed Irfan, and 24-years-old Sameer Ahmad, son of Tahir Ahmad, both residents of UP.
The injured were identified as 28-years-old driver Manzoor Ahmed, son of Bashir Ahmed of Neel; Jameela, 7; Ara Bano, 4, daughters of Fayaz Ahmad of Neel and his 35-years-old wife Khalida Begum; Aikra, two-and half-years old; Akya, aged 8; Nasir Khan, 19, son of Arshad Khan of UP’s Hewa; Soib Khan, 18, son of Akhter Hussain; Sohail Khan, son of Irfan Khan of UP; Arif Ahmad, 22, son of Akhter Hussain of UP; Ashu, 35, of UP, and Usman, 19, son of Mohammed Akbar, also from UP. Of them, Khaleda and Ashu have been referred to GMC Jammu in critical condition, officials said.
Locals said that the cab was spotted by a CRPF troops after which the troopers swung into action and started a rescue operation. They were later joined by local police, Army and civil rescuers and retrieved the bodies while shifting the injured to the hospital.
The cab was completely damaged in the accident.
