SRINAGAR: At least 13 people including a five-year-old girl were killed when a passenger vehicle carrying local pilgrims to a temple in mountainous Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir skidded off the road and fell into Chenab river on Tuesday.
It was the second accident in Kishtwar in as many days, taking death toll in two road mishaps to 20. A police official said a vehicle, which was on its way to Kishtwar from Gulabgarh and carrying local pilgrims to the Mata Machail temple in Kishtwar district, skidded off the road and rolled into river Chenab, about 28 kms from Kishtwar, in the morning after driver lost control of the vehicle.
He said 13 people including driver and conductor were travelling in the vehicle when the mishap took place. Immediately after the mishap, locals, police and army men rushed to the area and launched operation to rescue the passengers of the vehicle.
The police with the assistance of locals and army managed to rescue a five-year-old girl live from the river. The girl had sustained critical injuries in the bus fall and was rushed to hospital, where she succumbed later, a police official said.
He said bodies of 12 people including driver and conductor of the vehicle were recovered. The bodies were taken to local hospital for post-mortem and completion of legal formalities. Today's accident was the second accident in mountainous Kishtwar district, where roads are in very bad shape.
On Monday, seven passengers including two women died when two vehicles - minibus and a maurti car --- were hit by a landslide on Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway at Kuligad in Kishtwar district. Twelve passengers also suffered injuries in the accident. As the two vehicles were travelling on the highway, huge boulders rolling down from a hill fell on them leading to damage of the vehicles and seven casualties.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today expressed concern over recurring road accidents in the State and directed Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu to ensure that the Deputy Commissioners hold immediate meetings of the District Road Safety Committees and he shall chair a meeting on Saturday to review causes of recurring fatal accidents.
Moderate separatist leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also expressed grief over the death of 20 people in two road accidents in Kishtwar in two days."Almost every day people die in road accidents and landslides in J&K and it is the responsibility of concerned authorities to plug the loopholes to bring down a number of accidents that are taking serious toll on human life," he said.