Five women, four children among 16 killed as taxi falls into gorge in Doda

14 deceased belonged to Mangota village; lone survivor critical

JAMMU: In a heart-wrenching incident, sixteen people, including five women and four children, were killed when a passenger vehicle skidded off the road and fell down to another section of road around 700-metre below, in Doda district on Tuesday.
There were 17 people on board the ill-fated, overloaded vehicle—a Force Trax with seating capacity of 10 passengers-- and the lone survivor of the accident is admitted to Government Medical College Jammu in a critical condition.
A pall of gloom descended on Mangota village as 14 of the 16 deceased were its inhabitants, even as the administration has ordered an inquiry into the accident.
Officials said the SUV bearing registration number JK06-1182 was headed for Gowa village of Marmat from Khellani when its driver lost control while negotiating a blind curve and the vehicle fell into the 700-metre-deep gorge around 3:25 pm on the Batote-Doda road.
Eyewitnesses said that soon after the incident, a rescue operation was launched by police and locals.
“Twelve people were killed on the spot after the accident. Five injured people were rushed to the district hospital Doda where four more succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment,” Doda Senior Superintendent of Police Mumtaz Ahmad said.
The deceased have been identified as Irshad Ahmed son of Abdul Majid, his wife Jabina, and two of his children Nasir and another baby; Firdoz son of Noor Mohammad, his wife Rubiya and their baby; Sameer son of Abdul Wahid, driver Naseer Ahmed son of Ali Jaan, Amina wife of Mohd Sayeed, Tabrez son of Mohd Shoukeen-- all residents of village Mangota; and Faiz Mohd son of Rustum Ali, and his wife Shakoora Begum—both residents of Dhansal in Udhampur.
While Taimor Ahmed son of Mohd Aslam Wani of Manjota is the lone survivor of the accident, his wife Tanveera and two of his babies were killed in the accident.
The condition of Taimor, who was initially treated at a local hospital and later shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital Jammu, is critical, the SSP said.
“Though it remains a subject of investigation but prima facie it appeared that the driver failed to negotiate a blind curve that resulted in the accident. The possibility of him using the mobile phone while driving also can’t be ruled out,” he said.
A pall of gloom descended on Mangota village as 14 of the 16 deceased were its inhabitants.
As the news of the accident and subsequent deaths reached the village, the wailing relatives rushed to the local police station to collect the bodies, an official said.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma has expressed grief and shock over the loss of lives in the accident. "The accident is heart-wrenching. We mourn all those who lost their lives and express deep condolences to the bereaved families," Verma said, adding the administration has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the reasons for the tragic mishap.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee vice president and former minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori urged the administration to provide ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the family members of those killed.
Meanwhile, a boy died after being hit by a speedy truck near Miran Sahib in the outskirts of Jammu on Tuesday.
Sumit Kumar, a class 7 student, was crossing the road outside his house when he was hit by the truck, a police official said, adding that the erring driver was arrested and the vehicle was seized.