JAMMU, May 12 — At least 27 passengers were killed and 33 wounded when the bus in which they were travelling rolled down a steep slope near Bharatpur on the Ghat-Doda road in Doda district this morning. Six women were among those killed while four children were among those seriously injured.

Reports said that there were nearly 59 passengers on board the bus when the accident took place. The police said 20 passengers died on the spot and six succumbed to their injuries later. Nine wounded passengers were airlifted to Jammu Medical College.

More wounded passengers were being shifted to hospitals as the condition of 15 passengers was said to be critical.

As the bus rolled down the deep ravine people from the adjoining areas rushed to the spot. Police teams were sent to carry out rescue operations. Within two hours, 20 bodies were extricated from the wrecked bus. Those wounded were carried by the police and the people on their shoulders to the helipad for being shifted to Jammu Medical College.

The police said that it was not yet known whether the accident took place owing to some mechanical fault or on account of failure of the driver to negotiate the curve with overloaded bus.

Two Ministers, Mr B.A. Kichloo and Mr Ajat Shatru Singh, and the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, flew to the site of the accident and supervised the rescue operations. The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mr Kichloo and Mr Ajat Shatru Singh expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the road accident.

Government functionaries admitted that the series of road accidents in mountain-locked Doda district in recent months in which so far more than 60 persons have been killed, have been the result of overloading and rickety buses which have escaped the inspection by the traffic authorities. In addition to this, the road development programme in Doda district which was the biggest area in the state, has been tardy, forcing the drivers to run on rough and hazardous mountain roads.

Meanwhile, 25 out of the 27 persons killed have been identified so far.

They are Mohammad Afzal bag of Udhampur; Deepak and Mongta Khandey of Shahi; Ghulam Ali Wani of Chiltran Dali; Pishori Lal of Kalihand, Sanjay Kumar, Mohammad Sharief, Shamela Begum and Nissar Ahmad Lone of Ughat; Nissar Ahmed of Marmat; Kanta Devi of Dirar; Mohammad Iqbal of Seel; Ghulam Hussain of Beholi; Shokat Ali of Chitran; Mohammad Sharief of Poesidhar; Mariam Begum of Bagla; Mohammad Amin Malik of Pounda Dhar; Kafyat Ullah Malik; Ghulam Qadir and Shabitoo of Dali Kulhand; Mool Raj of Ugad; Shayad Hussain of Kulhand; Ghulam Qadir Bhat of Dali; Mohammad Abdullah of Phart; and Khalleel Singh of Shahi.

Official sources said the ill-fated bus (JK02F/4781) with more than 60 passengers was on its way from Doda to Udhampur when it skidded off the road as the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve and it fell into the deep gorge at around 0830 hrs.

Immediately after the accident, people of the area, including CRPF, ITBP, state police and Army jawans rushed to the spot and started rescue operations.

Doda Deputy Commissioner Shailendra Kumar and SP J.S. Singh also reached the spot and supervised the rescue operations.

Mr Kumar announced Rs 5000 for each seriously injured person.

Doctors from the Army and BSF have also been pressed into service for treatment of the injured.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr Girish Chandra Saxena, the Chief Minister and several other ministers have expressed shock and grief over the bus tragedy.

In his message, the Governor expressed sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured in the accident.

The Chief Minister visited Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, to enquire about the condition of those injured.

Immediately after arriving in the winter capital, on a three-day visit, the Chief Minister straightaway drove to the hospital from airport and went around various wards where the injured passengers have been admitted. The Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo and Minister of State for Food and Supplies, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, were accompanying the Chief Minister.