Four dead as bus falls into Poonch gorge

JAMMU: At least four people, including an Army trooper on leave, died and over 40 others were injured Tuesday when a passenger bus rolled down into a deep gorge in J&K’s Poonch.“The bus, on its way from Ghani to Mendhar, lost control and rolled down into the gorge around 9.20am. Locals along with police, Army and CRPF personnel launched a rescue and evacuated the injured to the nearby health facility in Mendhar, from where 11 critically injured were referred to Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Rajouri,” an official said.Three of the deceased were identified as soldier Abdul Majeed (45) of Assam Rifles, Noor Hussain (60) and Shakeela Begum (55). The fourth had not been identified till late Tuesday. All were locals.Poonch chief medical officer (CMO) Pervaiz Ahmed Khan said two passengers died on the spot and two succumbed to injuries on way to the Rajouri hospital.Lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives. “Pained by the loss of lives due to the tragic road accident in Poonch. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for a speedy recovery of those injured,” Sinha said in a statement.J&K minister Javed Ahmad Rana pledged all support to the affected families. “Deeply saddened… I have spoken to divisional commissioner, Jammu, and instructed him to ensure immediate assistance, including airlifting critically injured to GMC (Govt Medical College) Jammu,” Rana posted on X.On this occasion, Rana highlighted the need for better road and safety measures in the area. “This (accident) has reminded us of better road safety measures in Pir Panjal region, including improved infrastructure, stricter regulations and public awareness,” Rana posted.Road crashes in the region have been so frequent that these have led to PILs in J&K high court. On April 24 this year, the HC asked an amicus curiae to personally visit some accident-prone spots and submit a comprehensive report. This was a follow-up to a report handed in to the HC by a four-member committee of experts in Dec 2023.