Death toll in J-K road accident rises to 8 after 2 more succumb to injuries

india

Updated: Jul 14, 2019 10:14 IST

Three girls were among eight people killed after the Tata Sumo taxi they were travelling in rolled down into a deep gorge in Jammu-Kashmir’s Ramban district on Saturday.

“The cab with eight passengers on board plunged into a gorge on Alinbass-Ukhral link road in Ramsu area of the district on Saturday afternoon,” said Ramban SSP Anita Sharma.

The cab was on its way to Alinbass from Ukhral when it skidded off the road.

The SSP informed that while four people died on the spot, the driver succumbed to his injuries at Ramban district hospital and Sandeep Singh of Alinbass died at the helipad at Chanderkote.

One of the two injured passengers was airlifted to Jammu for specialized treatment and the second one was referred to military hospital in Udhampur. However, they also succumbed to their injuries taking the toll to eight.

“There were eight people on board the ill-fated vehicle including its driver. The cause of mishap remains a subject of investigation but it was a link road where the mishap occurred. Whether the driver was over speeding or something else happened, will be established in the probe. Police have initiated the investigations,” she said.

“Prima facie, it appeared to be a case of negligent driving,” she added.

The deceased have been identified as Neelofar Bano, 16, daughter of Mohammed Ashraf Jaral of Khudmalla Danmasta, Tarda Devi, 54, wife of Dhyan Chand of Batote, Sanvi Devi, 10, daughter of Subash Singh of Krimchi, Mohammad Iqbal Jaral of Alinbass, driver Javed Ahmed Jaral, 45, of Alinbass Bati and Sandeep Singh of Alinbass, Faizan Ahmad Jaral, 14, son of Farooq Ahmed Jaral and Raahat Ashraf, 19, daughter of Mohammed Ashraf Jaral.

Faizan died at a government medical college and hospital in Jammu and Raahat Ashraf died at a military hospital in Udhampur late Saturday night.

A case under section 279/337 RPC has been registered and an investigation is underway.

On July 1, 35 people were killed and 17 others were injured when an overloaded mini bus veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

On June 27, 11 students from Poonch died in a road accident on Mughal Road when an over speeding Tempo Traveller skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge. Nine were girls among the 11 dead.