17 Amarnath Pilgrims Killed, 29 Injured After Bus Falls Into Gorge
Around 30 people were injured in the accident at Ramban, Jammu & Kashmir.
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- At least 17 people were killed and 29 others injured in a bus accident in J&K’s Ramban district
- The bus was ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims when it fell into a gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar highway
- The cause of the accident was a tyre-burst, said Jammu police
- PM Modi announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for those killed in the accident
PM Modi Announces Rs 2 Lakh Compensation For Kin of Those Killed
PM Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation for families of those killed in the accident. He also announced Rs 50,000 for those who were injured in the accident.
Additionally, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for next of kin of five people from the state who were killed in the bus accident.
Tyre Burst Caused Accident: Jammu Police
SD Singh Jamwal, IGP Jammu Police, said that the accident was not a result of sabotage.
PM Modi Tweets Condolences
Along with PM Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also expressed grief at the accident.
Rajnath Speaks to CM Mufti
Singh also had a telephonic conversation with Governor NN Vohra who reached the accident site soon after. He apprised him of the situation.
At least 17 Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 29 injured when a bus skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and rolled down into a deep nullah in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on 16 July, officials said.
The bus carrying the pilgrims skidded off the road, turned turtle and rolled down into the gorge at Nachlana belt of Ramban late this afternoon, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Mohan Lal said.
The officer said a rescue operation was underway. Authorities also released helpline numbers to enquire about the pilgrims travelling in the bus.
Many of the injured were critical, the SSP said. The mortal remains of the 16 pilgrims, along with 18 pilgrims who were injured seriously and admitted in the Government Medical College, were airlifted to Jammu on 16 July, according to CRPF sources. Additionally, 11 more were taken to Srinagar by road.
The deceased included two women and belonged to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, they said. Sixteen of the injured persons were critical, the officials added.
The bus was part of a convoy carrying 3,603 pilgrims from Jammu to the twin base-camps of Baltal and Pahalgam for the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas.
Police, Army and CRPF, with help from locals, launched rescue operation and brought out the dead and injured from the gorge.
The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) ordered an in-house inquiry into the road accident.
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