J-K: 21 killed, 40 injured as bus falls into gorge in Akhnoor

As many as 21 people died and around 40 others were left injured after a bus carrying devotees met with an accident on the Jammu-Rajouri National Highway and fell into a gorge in the Akhnoor area on Thursday.

Police said that the recovered bodies have been shifted to Sub District Hospital (SDH) Akhnoor.

Officials said that the rescue operation is underway.

Jammu and Kashmir Transport Commissioner, Rajinder Singh Tara said that the driver was unable to negotiate a cut which resulted in the bus accident.

“The bus was going towards Shiv Khori. The cut here is very ordinary and there shouldn’t have been any difficulty, but maybe the driver fell asleep, and he couldn’t negotiate the cut. Instead of taking the turn, the bus went straight and went down. There are around 15 casualties and around 15 are injured,” the official told ANI.

He further said that the injured are admitted at a hospital in Akhnoor and those who are in critical condition are being referred to Jammu.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed grief over the bus accident.

“Extremely pained by the terrible bus tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor where at least 21 people have lost their lives and several people have been injured. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. We urge the administration to provide urgent and immediate medical relief to the injured and provide adequate compensation to the victims. Congress workers must do everything possible to provide assistance. In this hour of grief, we stand with the affected families,” Kharge posted on X. (ANI)