Rajouri: Two persons were killed and 21 others injured after a passenger vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Moghla village in Rajouri district on Friday.
An official told the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the vehicle, bearing registration number JK20C-8295, met with an accident within the jurisdiction of Triyath Police Post.
The occupants were returning from Marchola village after attending a condolence gathering when the accident occurred. Locals and police personnel launched a rescue operation and shifted the injured to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Moghla for treatment.
According to medical records, two persons, identified as Balbir Singh (45), son of Suram Singh, and Pritam Singh, son of Sant Ram, both residents of Moghla, were brought dead to the health facility.
The injured were identified as Kaushal Singh (23), son of Rattan Singh; Joginder Singh (80), son of Tirath Singh; Ambika Sharma (45), daughter of Gidish Kumar; Kaushalya Devi (65), wife of Tirath Singh; Babli Devi (30), wife of Tara Singh; Kamal Singh (55), son of Bhim Singh; Digpal Singh (50), son of Sansar Singh; Sanjay Kumar (30), son of Mool Raj, resident of Thalka; Rano Devi (61), wife of Bihari Lal; Shardi Devi (60), wife of Sajib Singh; Darshana Devi (35), wife of Deepo Singh; Sudesh Kumar (50), son of Karnail Singh; Satya Devi (70), wife of Tarlok Singh, resident of Badhog; Bindo Devi (35), wife of Joginder Singh; Satvir Singh (60); Parvez Singh (65), son of Chander Singh; Bimla Devi (60), wife of Hari Singh; Neelam Devi (40), wife of Rakesh Singh; Joginder Singh (45), son of Janak Singh; Sundar Singh (60), son of Dilip Singh; and Sanyogita Kumari (55), wife of Sundar Singh.
Most of the injured are residents of Moghla, officials said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the accident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families. He directed the district administration to expedite rescue operations and ensure the best possible medical treatment for all the injured.
Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated an investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to the accident. (With inputs from KNO)
