Kulgam, Dec 4: In a tragic accident, six labourers from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday morning died while six others sustained injuries in Himachal Pradesh (HP).
Police said that six labourers from outlying Kund village, some 20 km from Kulgam, died when a truck they were travelling in crashed after plummeting in a deep gorge near Karaghat area of Shimla.
Police said that an equal number of travellers suffered injuries in the incident. They said that the injured were shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla.
The deceased have been identified as Fareed Ahmad Deedar, 24, Ghulam Hussain Gorsi, 43, Shabir Ahmad Deedar, 19, Talib Hussain Tinda, 23, Gulzar Ahmad Deedar, 30, and Mushtaq Ahmad Dedar, 30, – all residents of Kulgam district.
According to the official, the labourers belonged to the socially-marginalised Gujjar community.
A local said that the labourers were woodcutters and would go each year to Shimla for work.
Senior CPI (M) leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami expressed shock over the accident.
He posted on X: “Deeply pained to learn about the tragic accident in Shimla in which 6 labourers from Kund area of Kulgam lost their lives and some suffered injuries.”
He appealed to the HP government to provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased and the best possible treatment for the injured.
Tarigami also requested the HP government to facilitate the early return of the bodies of the victims.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat expressed grief over the deaths of Kulgam residents.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here quoted Bhat as saying that the district administration Kulgam was in touch with the Shimla administration for transportation of the mortal remains of all the deceased to their native villages.
District Development Council (DDC) Kulgam Chairperson Muhammad Afzal Parrey also expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the road accident in Shimla.
An official spokesman in a separate statement issued here quoted Parrey as saying, “I am saddened to hear about the loss of six precious lives in the road accident in Shimla. My thoughts and sympathies are with the families who lost their loved ones in this mishap. May the Almighty give them the strength to bear the pain of this loss, and may the departed souls rest in eternal peace. I pray for the speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries in the accident.”
He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to provide compensation to the families of those who died and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.