Five-Year-Old Girl, Woman Killed as Bus Plunges Into Gorge in Udhampur; 16 Injured
Udhampur, KNT: A five-year-old girl and a woman were killed and 16 other passengers injured after a passenger bus skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge at Gulli Gala in the Latti-Basantgarh area of Udhampur district on Wednesday morning.
The bus, bearing registration number JK02AL-3477, was travelling from Pachiound to Ramnagar when the accident occurred at around 8 am on the Basantgarh-Ramnagar road. According to reports, the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp curve, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and roll down into the gorge.
The five-year-old victim was identified as Takshika, daughter of Rakesh Kumar and a resident of Chatrari. The identity of the woman killed in the accident had not been established in the reports available by the time of filing this story.
The impact left the bus badly mangled, while passengers sustained injuries of varying severity. Six of the injured were reported to be in critical condition and were referred for specialized treatment. The injured were initially shifted to the Sub-District Hospital in Ramnagar, while some were being treated at the Primary Health Centre in Basantgarh.
Local residents were among the first to reach the accident site and launched rescue efforts, helping evacuate passengers from the wreckage and transport the injured for medical assistance. Police and district administration teams subsequently reached the spot, while medical personnel were mobilized to facilitate treatment and evacuation.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, said he had spoken to Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ananth Dwivedi after receiving information about the accident. He said the administration was providing necessary assistance to the injured and that his office remained in contact with the district authorities.
The minister also said he had taken up the issue of construction of the Ramnagar-Basantgarh road with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authorities in Delhi, bringing the condition and development of the road into focus following the accident.
Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to establish the circumstances that led to the crash. The exact cause of the accident will be determined through the investigation. [KNT]
