38 killed, 17 hurt as bus falls into gorge in Jammu & Kashmir's Doda

Srinagar: At least 38 passengers died while 17 others were injured after a passenger bus fell into a gorge in hilly Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The bus, carrying over 55 passengers, skidded off the road near Trungal-Assar on the Batote-Kishtwar national highway and fell 300 feet downhill, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said.

A rescue operation has been launched and some bodies have been retrieved, he said and added the injured have been shifted to nearby health facilities for immediate treatment.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Doda, Abdul Qayoom, who supervised the rescue operations, informed that 38 people died in the incident.

After hearing the news of the tragic accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grief over the incident.

"The bus accident in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is distressing. My condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said on X (formerly Twitter).

He announced that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each would be given to the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

"Deeply anguished to learn about the loss of precious lives due to a tragic bus accident at Doda, Jammu and Kashmir. The local administration is conducting the rescue operation in the gorge where the bus had the accident. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Shah wrote on X.

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha wrote on X: “Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Assar, Doda. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families and wishing for a speedy recovery of those injured in the accident. Directed Div Com and Dist Admin to provide all necessary assistance to affected persons.”

In December last year the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had directed the government to constitute a committee of experts to ascertain reasons for repeated accidents in the hilly region of Doda-Kishtwar, also known as Chenab Valley.

Frequent accidents on “killer” roads of Chenab Valley have snatched hundreds of lives over the last one decade and hardly a week passes without any tragic news of the accident. However, despite High Court directions, the government agencies have failed to take any concrete measures to check the mishaps.

Experts say huge piles of sand and gravel roadside, vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers, rash driving, drunk driving, and violations of the traffic rules are common features on these roads.

According to the Union Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways, Jammu and Kashmir rank second across India in the number of road accidents per 10,000 vehicles with an average of over 900 deaths every year in the last five years.