Udhampur, April 20: At least 19 people lost their lives and several others were injured after a passenger bus lost control and veered off the road in Kagort village of Ramnagar area in Udhampur on Monday, officials reported.
According to authorities, emergency responders, police personnel, and local residents quickly reached the accident site and launched rescue operations soon after the incident occurred.
Officials confirmed that 19 passengers died in the accident, while many others sustained injuries. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Authorities stated that the accident occurred at a sharp curve along the road, where the driver is believed to have lost control of the vehicle. The bus reportedly struck a roadside barrier before rolling down into a deep gorge. Officials added that whether the vehicle was overloaded remains under investigation.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. He also announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh for the families of those who died and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that rescue and evacuation operations were carried out by teams from the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and district administration, and that the injured were shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Udhampur for urgent medical treatment.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expressed deep sorrow over the incident and assured full support to the affected families.
