Udhampur, October 21: Two people, including a four-year-old girl, died and 17 others were injured after a passenger bus plunged into a deep gorge near Gulli Gala in the Ramnagar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Wednesday.
The bus, bearing registration number JK02AL-3477, was travelling from Pachound towards Ramnagar when the accident occurred at around 8 am. Diplomat Digital has learned that hospital records at Sub-District Hospital Ramnagar listed 19 passengers, including two who were brought dead.
The deceased have been identified as Takshika, four, daughter of Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Chhatradi, and Sunita Devi, 24, wife of Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Pachound.
According to reports, the driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve, causing it to skid off the road and plunge into the gorge. The exact cause of the accident has not yet been officially established.
Local residents were among the first to reach the site and assist in rescuing passengers. Police personnel, district administration officials, emergency response teams and medical staff subsequently joined the rescue and evacuation operation.
The injured passengers include Shiv Dev Singh, 24; Savita Devi, 31; Hardik, 7; Vibhan, 8; Rohit Kumar, 15; Navneet Sajan, 15; Ratan Chand, 50; Ankit Kumar, 2; Ravi Kumar, 47; Neelma Devi, 50; Kirav Bansal, 8; Kavyansh, 8; Aarti, 18; Arshanya, 9; Rajan Dogra, 18; Sulekha Devi, 33; and Ankish Bharti, 17.
Medical records indicate that some injured passengers were admitted to Sub-District Hospital Ramnagar, while others were referred to Government Medical College (GMC), Udhampur, for specialised treatment. Several children were among those injured.
Following the accident, Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ananth Dwivedi directed the district administration, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, rescue teams and medical personnel to coordinate relief efforts. Medical staff at the Ramnagar hospital were placed on alert to ensure treatment for the injured.
Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh spoke to Deputy Commissioner Ananth Dwivedi after receiving information about the accident. In an initial update on X, Singh said local residents had helped evacuate passengers and that rescue teams had reached the scene. At that stage, initial reports indicated that nine to ten injured passengers had been shifted to the hospital, with no fatalities reported.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery and directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the affected families and ensure appropriate medical care.
The administration is continuing relief efforts, while the circumstances surrounding the accident remain subject to official investigation.