11 die, 27 injured in Poonch accident

Poonch (Mandi): At least 11 persons died while 27 others were injured, many critically, in an accident in the Saujiyan area of Poonch’s Mandi tehsil.

Officials said that a bus (JK12 1419) was on its way to Mandi tehsil headquarters from the Gali Maidaan area of Saujiyan when it plunged into a deep gorge at Birari Nallah in Gagriyan village.

   

“Around 39 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the accident that occurred around 7:30 am and soon after this accident local population and teams of Army from the local camp launched a rescue operation and the teams of the Health Department and Police also joined in,” officials said.

They said that all the injured were evacuated from the accident site and taken to Sub District Hospital Mandi from where most of the injured were referred to District Hospital Poonch.

“So far 11 passengers have lost their lives in the accident with eight persons dying on the spot, two succumbing to injuries at Sub District Hospital Mandi while one succumbing at District Hospital Poonch,” the officials said.

They identified the deceased as Maroof Ahmad, 14, son of Manzoor Ahmad of Gagriyan; Bashir Ahmad, 40, son of Muhammad Lone of Gagriyan; Razia Akhter, 28, daughter of Mushtaq Ahmed of Gagriyan; Zarina Begum, 40, of Gagriyan; Muhammad Hussain, 65, son of Mangha Khan of Gagriyan; Nazma Akhter, 20, daughter of Bashir Ahmad of Gagriyan; Imran Ahmad, 5, son of Muhammad Altaf of Gagriyan; Abdul Karim, 70, son of Subhan Dar of Bedar; Abdul Qayoom, 40, son of Akbar Din of Saral; Shaheeda Akhter, 32, wife of Altaf Hussain of Gagriyan and Abdul Majid, 65, son of Ahmad.

Officials said that 27 persons were injured in the accident, five of them critically who were airlifted and referred to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) Jammu while others are being treated at District Hospital Poonch and Sub District Hospital Mandi.

The injured include Ghulam Mustafa, Sameer Ahmad, Iram Koser, Muhammad Azad, Hanifa Begum, Liaquat Ali, Nazia Akhtar, Muhammad Akbar, Muhammad Iqbal, Tariq Ahmad, Jameel Akhtar, Sonya Akhtar, Abdul Ahad, Mukhtar Ahmad, Muhammad Ismail, Abdul Majid, Nazia Akhtar, Muhammad Alam, Nazima Akhtar, Jasvinder Singh, Sanaullah, Ghulam Muhammad, Adil Ahmad, Kamran Ahmad, Farhan Ahmad, Mumtaz Ahmad, and Saleema Akhtar.

Police said that a case under the relevant sections of the law had been registered at Police Station Mandi and an investigation started.

Meanwhile, locals expressed anger at the dilapidated condition of the road and the insensitive approach of the administration towards such accidents with no preventive approach taken so far.

They said that repeated accidents were occurring on the Mandi Loran and Mandi Saujiyan roads but the administration was taking no preventive measures.

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