7 killed, 25 hurt as vehicle rolls down gorge in Rajouri

Our Correspondent

Rajouri, August 25

In a tragic mishap on the Rajouri-Thananamandi-Poonch road, seven pilgrims were killed and 25 injured after the vehicle they were travelling in rolled down a deep gorge.

Of the injured, 11 were in a critical condition and were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu.

In all, 32 persons from Khnetar village in Poonch district were on the way to pay obeisance at the world-famous shrine of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah in Rajouri district. The pilgrims were travelling in a canter. When the vehicle reached near Magi Mor, 5 km ahead of Thanamndi town, the driver lost control and the canter rolled down a 500-foot gorge.

People from the nearby villages informed the police and Army personnel deployed on the road for security. Twenty-seven injured were rescued while five died on the spot.

After preliminary treatment, all the injured were referred to GMC Associated Hospital at Rajouri.

“Of the 27 referred to the Rajouri hospital, two were brought dead while 25 were admitted and provided immediate medical treatment,” said Dr Sunil Sharma, Chief Medical Officer.

Eleven critically injured were later referred to Jammu for specialised treatment, he added. “All the 14 injured admitted to the Rajouri hospital are out of danger and responding to treatment,” said Dr Mehmood Bazar.

Restrictions on mobile voice calls and internet facility made it tough for the injured to contact their family members. The deceased were identified as Abdul Qayoom, Safeena Begam, Mansha Begam, Mussarat Kousar, Mohammad Pazir, Mohammad Rashid and an unidentified person.

“All the injured have been provided free food and treatment. The administration tried for Pawan Hans to airlift the injured to Jammu but it couldn’t take off from Kashmir due to bad weather,” said MA Asad, Deputy Commissioner.

Man killed in Kathua mishap 

Kathua: A man was killed and two others injured when an auto rickshaw hit a divider after its tyre burst on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway near Langate Morh on Sunday evening. The deceased was identified as Dalvinder Singh of Dhariwal, Punjab. The injured were shifted to Associate Medical College, Kathua. They were identified as Rajbeer Kour, 40, and Geeta Devi, 50, of the same town.