Bandipora, Jan 10: At least 23 persons were injured when a passenger bus skid off a slippery road in Bandipora district today.
 The bus, on its way to Srinagar from Bandipora, met with the accident at Safapora. Five of the injured passengers have been referred to SKIMS in critical condition.
 "Twenty-three passengers were injured in the accident. Five of them have sustained serious injuries and have been brought to Srinagar for specialized treatment," said Block Medical Officer Bashir Ahmad Malik. “Condition of one of the injured, Shameema Khawaja, is stated to be critical,” he said.
 Slippery road condition is believed to be the cause of the accident, officials said.
 The roads across Kashmir valley have turned slippery due to sub-zero temperatures and snowfall over the weekend.
 "Extreme cold weather has resulted in a thin film of ice on roads which makes driving risky, especially in the mornings," said the police officer.
 Meanwhile locals protested against the “inability” of the authorities to clear the roads. “Government has the money to decorate roads on VIP visits but they have no money to spray salt on roads to melt ice so that accidents don’t happen,” said Ali Muhammad Khan of Safapora.
 The locals hailed the efforts of the doctors and staff at sub-district hospital Sumbal for their timely action that saved several lives.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST