Ramban, Nov 15: In a tragic road accident, 38 people, including 11 women, were killed and 18 others sustained injuries after an overloaded passenger bus skidded off the road in the Assar area on Batote-Doda-Kishtwar National Highway (NH 244) in Jammu province on Wednesday.
Four critically injured persons were airlifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu after providing medical aid at Associated Government Medical College and Hospital, Doda.
According to local sources, there were fifty-six passengers in the 42-seater bus when it skidded off the road, while overtaking another vehicle this afternoon. “The driver lost control and the vehicle fell down on an old alignment road in the Traungul area of Assar,” they said.
Meanwhile, official sources said, “A rashly driving passenger bus bearing registration number JK02CB-6555 on its way to Jammu from Kishtwar went out of control of its driver while negotiating a curve and plunged into several hundred feet (gorge) old alignment road in Assar- a place between Batote and Doda.”
“On getting information from locals, police, local volunteers, army, and NGOs along with senior district and police officers reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. After hectic efforts, they retrieved 28 dead bodies and 27 injured persons and shifted them to Assar and Doda Hospitals,” they said.
Later, the Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh, while talking to the media, said, “A bus in which 56 people were travelling met with an accident. So far, there have been 37 casualties till now and 19 are injured. Most of the bodies have been identified. We have checked all the things about the vehicle, its insurance, and service life. The driver is also dead, so there might be a chance that the vehicle was not being driven properly.”
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban range Sunil Gupta too had earlier confirmed the death of 37 persons and injuries to 19 others in this accident. By evening, the death toll had increased to 38.
They said 28 persons died on the spot, eight succumbed at CHC Assar and one succumbed at GMC Doda. Later four critically injured persons, including a minor girl, were airlifted to GMC hospital, Jammu.
Principal Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu Dr Ashutosh Gupta, late Wednesday evening, told reporters that out of four Doda bus accident victims two failed to survive. “A minor girl is stable and was shifted to ICU whereas one person is critical and doctors are trying to save his life,” he said.
A health official at GMC Doda said that 28 bodies were identified and handed over to legal heirs so far while the process of identification and handing over bodies was still going on at the mortuary of Associated Government Medical College and Hospital Doda. Later more bodies were identified.
Doda Police identified the 36 dead persons as driver Shakeel Ahmed, son of Gulam Mohd Sheikh, resident of Akramabad, Doda; Raviti Devi, daughter of Rajesh Kumar; Vishu Thakur, son of Rajesh Kumar, both residents of Nilhote Assar; Chuni Lal, son of Beli Ram, resident of Charlotte Assar; Davinder Singh, son of Ferol Singh, resident of Dangru Prem Nagar; Ashu Parihar, son of Ajay Parihar; Renuka Parihar, daughter of Susheel Kumar, resident of Sarore Kishtwar; Raghu Nath, son of Shiv Nath, resident of Drabshalla, Kishtwar; Saksham Parihar, son of Ajay Parihar, resident of Beda Bhata, Kishtwar; Hemanshu Raina, son of Rajit Kumar, resident of Bhaderwah; Rita Devi, daughter of Subash Chander, resident of Thathri Doda; Subash Chander, son of Bushan Lal, resident of Balgran Kishtwar; Jabeed Ahmed, son of Basheer, resident of Mantalai, Udhampur; Rahesh Kumar, son of Som Nath, resident of Chatroo Kishtwar; Nizam Din, son of Mohd Usman; Mohd Azad, son of Mohd Nibibbakas, both residents of Hanuman Nagar district Sipol Bihar; Swarna Devi, daughter of Ram Raj, resident of Bakna Doda; Bhagwan Singh, son of Madhav Lal, resident of Parmassa Malhota Doda; Ratna Devi, daughter of Dev Raj, resident of Saroor Kishtwar; Mohammad Yousaf, son of Ahad, resident of Dhar Billawar Kathua; Dharminder Sehgal, son of Gokul Chand, resident of Dharmkund Batote; Anuradha, daughter of Vishu Mohan, resident of Goha Marmat Doda; Jasveer, son of Ramesh Kumar, resident of Nagseni Kishtwar; Suresh Kumar Karash, son of Uchitram, resident of Bilaspur Baloda Bazar Chhattisgarh; Nadeem, son of Mohammad Yameen, resident of Merat Ikra UP; Dilshad, son of Nur Din, resident of Bhadhana Muzzaffar Nagar UP; Muhammad, son of Ramjani Mia, resident of Chhithi Hanuman Nagar Sipol Bihar; Roshan Lal, son of Dina, resident of Thandapani Assar; Munish Kumar, son of Jia Ram, resident of Plan Drabshalla Kishtwar; Arun Kumar, son of Rahesh Kumar resident of Tatni, Saroor Kishtwar; Rangeel Singh, son of Puran Lal, resident Paddar Kishtwar; Sunil Manhas, son of Hans Raj, resident of Thathri Doda; Bishan Lal, son of Mangal Singh, resident of Paddar Kishtwar; Etwari Devi, daughter of Suresh Kumar and Ajgiya, daughter of Dhani Ram, both residents of Bilaspur Chhattisgarh.
They said the identity of two bodies kept in the mortuary of PHC Assar could not be established so far.
A health department official said, “The death toll may rise further.”