Jammu: Seven persons, including four members of a family, were killed in three separate road accidents in Udhampur, Jammu and Reasi districts on Sunday, officials said.
A couple and their two daughters were killed and another one was injured after their car was hit by a truck in the Udhampur district, the officials said.
The family from Jammu was on its way to Kashmir. The accident took place at Salore near Tikri along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway shortly after midnight and the rescuers had a tough time retrieving the bodies from the badly crushed vehicle, they added.
They said a rashly driven truck hit the car which then collided with another truck, resulting in on-the-spot deaths of Nitin Dogra (37), his wife Rittu (32) and daughters Khushi (17) and Vani (11). Another daughter, Brinda (15), suffered critical injuries.
Police have registered a case and a hunt has been launched to arrest the erring driver who fled the scene after the accident, the officials said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has condoled the deaths in Udhampur.
“Deeply anguished to learn about the loss of lives in a road accident in Udhampur. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with the bereaved family. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. District Administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” the LG said.
In another mishap, two persons – Aijaz Ahmad (32) and Mohammad Asif (26) – were killed when their car skidded off the road and rolled down into a gorge in snow-bound Bathoie in Mahore area of the Reasi district, officials said, adding that bodies of both the deceased were retrieved and handed over to their families.
In yet another incident, an unidentified truck driver was killed when his vehicle loaded with bovine animals fell down from a bridge near Manwal in Jhajjar Kotli area of Jammu around 5 am, the officials said.
Over a dozen bovine animals also died in the accident, they said, adding that the truck was plying from Jandrah towards Manwal and fell down from the bridge near the Saunoo village.
