Jammu: Eight people including four women were killed Wednesday when a cab skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Devansh Yadav said a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) carrying passengers from Marwah to Renie panchayat met with an accident near Alasyar this evening.
“Preliminary information has suggested that eight people were travelling in the private cab and all of them died in the accident. The bodies of the deceased have been retrieved and taken to Nowapachi community health centre,” he said.
Yadav said police, army and civil authorities responded quickly and launched a rescue operation which was still going on.
A police officer said the accident took place around 6 pm killing people on the spot.
The victims were identified as Umer Gani Shah of Nowapachi, who was driving the car; Mohammad Amin of Chanjer, Mohammad Irfan of Qaderna, Afaq Ahmad of Thachna, Asia Bano and Muzamila Bano of Yourdoo, and Safoora Bano and Mohsina Bano of Anjer.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha offered his condolences to the bereaved families and directed the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to them.
“Anguished to learn about the loss of lives in a road accident in Kishtwar. My deepest condolences to bereaved families. Directed district administration to provide all necessary assistance,” Sinha wrote on twitter.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also grieved the deaths and said all possible assistance would be made available to the victims’ families.
“Just now spoke to DC #Kishtwar Dr Devansh Yadav after receiving the news of an unfortunate Tata Sumo road accident in Marwah area. 8 persons have died on the spot, rescue operations in progress to recover other persons.
“All possible assistance being provided, further help as needed would also be made available. My sincere condolences to bereaved families,” the minister said in a tweet soon after the accident.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, chairman Democratic Azad Party and former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said “I once again expect that authorities will ensure enough safety measures as occurrences of such accidents are witnessed every alternate day.”
“Smooth traffic movement on such hilly terrain needs immediate attention. I am sure that adequate compensation and immediate relief will be provided to the next kin of those who got killed in this devastating accident,” Azad said in a statement.
Another senior DAP leader and former minister G M Saroori demanded ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh to the family of each victim.
In a separate accident, over half-a-dozen vehicles were damaged when they collided inside Chenani-Nashri tunnel along Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
All vehicles were on their way to Srinagar from Jammu when they collided with each other inside the tunnel, resulting in minor injuries to a truck driver who was taken to a hospital, a police officer said.
He said the traffic on the highway was disrupted by accident.
