Udhampur/Jammu: Six persons were killed and 31 injured when a Srinagar-bound private bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said Saturday.
The accident happened at Chandeh village near Surinsar around midnight when the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle which rolled down into the gorge.
Officials stated that the driver had reportedly taken the interior route to dodge traffic police in view of the restrictions on the main Jammu-Srinagar national highway which was opened for traffic Saturday after five days of closure due to landslides caused by rain and snowfall.
Rescue operations were immediately launched by the police and fire personnel. Five persons were found dead while 32 were rescued and rushed to Government Medical College hospital Jammu for treatment.
Officials also said that one of the injured was declared dead by doctors on arrival. The toll may rise as a few of the injured were stated to be ‘critical’, officials at the hospital said.
There are however, no information regarding the driver who sources said may have jumped from the bus and run away. Among the injured is the cleaner of the vehicle.
PTI