5 dead, 17 injured as overloaded vehicle falls into gorge in J-K's Doda  

Five persons, including a woman, were killed and 17 injured when an overloaded passenger vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in hilly Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.

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The accident took place on Doda-Bharth road near Ponda, some 30 km from Doda town, when the driver of a tempo traveller lost control while negotiating a blind curve around 9 am, they said.

Mohammad Ashraf (35) Mangta wani (51), Atta Mohamed (33), Talib Hussain (35), Rafeeqa Begum (60) were declared brought dead at government Medical College hospital Doda.

Seventeen persons were shifted to hospital by rescuers and the condition of some of them was stated to be critical, the officials said, adding one of the critically injured person, five year old Uzma jan, was referred to Jammu for specialised treatment.

Locals rushed to the scene soon after the vehicle rolled down into the gorge and were later joined by police and other security agencies personnel.

J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Democratic Progressive Azad Party president Ghulam Nabi Azad have condoled the loss of lives in the accident.

In a condolence message, the Lt Governor has said: "Pained by the loss of lives due to tragic road accident in Doda. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for a speedy recovery of the injured."

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he spoke to Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh on receiving the information about the accident. "All possible help and medical aid being provided. DC is personally supervising the entire exercise and giving me regular updates. Any further assistance, as required, will also be provided," Singh said in a post on X. He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.