4 women among 9 dead, 5 hurt as overloaded vehicle falls into gorge

TNN Bureau. Updated: 2/23/2020 10:25:42 AM Front Page

JAMMU: In a heart-wrenching accident, nine people including four women and three children, were killed and five others injured on Saturday when an overloaded passenger vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Kathua district.
The condition of two among the five injured-- all of them shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital here, was stated to be critical.
The accident took place around 5.30 pm in remote Mallar village on Katli-Malhar road in Billawar tehsil when the driver of a Tata Sumo lost control over the vehicle which rolled down into the 300 feet deep gorge.
The overloaded vehicle bearing registration number HP20-B-7030 was on way to Nailo village from Billawar and was carrying 14 persons.
Officials said that the villagers launched a rescue operation immediately.
“Police parties rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident and joined the locals in carrying out the operation,” Kathua Deputy Commissioner O P Bhagat said.
Nine of the occupants were killed on the spot, he said.
“The rescuers pulled out nine bodies from the vehicle and sent five critically injured people to a local hospital from where they were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu,” he said, adding the deceased included four women and three children.
Police identified the deceased as Megh Ram, his son Kuldeep Singh, and granddaughters Isha and Varsha; Seema Devi and his son Mukesh; Sunil Singh, Manjoor Ahmed and Neema Devi.
Two among the five injured persons shifted to GMC&H were stated to be critical, when this report was written.
“A case has been registered in this regard and the investigation to ascertain what led to the accident has been taken up,” a police official said.
This is the third major accident in Jammu region in past 8 days.
On Thursday, five members of a family were killed when their car rammed into a stationary truck on the Jammu-Pathankot Highway in Samba district.
On Saturday last, three members of a family were killed when the car they travelling in collided with the parapet along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway in Kathua district.
Meanwhile, a truck driver was also killed today after his vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Ramban district early morning.
The deceased was identified as Jagdish Kumar (40), a resident of Udhampur district's Ramnagar area.
“The truck, which was loaded with washing machines and refrigerators, was on its way to Srinagar from Jammu. It skidded off the road and rolled down into a 400 feet deep gorge at Chamalwas near Banihal in Ramban around 5 am,” a police official said.
Rescuers immediately swung into action and pulled out the driver's body, he said.
The body was handed over to Kumar's family after completion of legal formalities, the official said.


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