M A I N   N E W S

31 die as bus falls into gorge near Udhampur
Tribune News Service & Agencies

One of the injured passengers, Om Prakash, receives treatment at the Udhampur district hospital on Sunday. — PTI photo

Jammu, February 6
As many as 31 persons were killed and 32 injured when an overloaded bus rolled into a deep gorge near Udhampur this morning.

Condition of six of the injured is critical and they have been shifted to the medical college here. Other injured were getting treatment at the Udhampur district hospital.

The police said 28 persons died on the spot, while three succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.

The ill-fated bus was on its way to Udhampur from Gordi in the interior of the district. This is the second major accident in a year in which a bus from Gordi was involved in the mishap.

The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, has been ordered by the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, to look into the cause of the accident.

Preliminary inquiries indicated that the driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a turn and the bus plunged into the gorge.

People from the nearby village rushed to the accident site and rescued some injured passengers. Two cranes were pressed into service to remove the debris of the bus and recover the bodies, which were yet to be identified.

Mufti Sayeed and his deputy Mangat Ram Sharma, who also holds the transport portfolio, have expressed shock over the accident and have expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.