india

Updated: Jul 01, 2019 22:55 IST

At least 35 people were killed and 17 others injured when an overloaded minibus skidded off a winding road and fell into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s mountainous Kishtwar district on Monday.

This is the second major accident in the state since Thursday when 11 students were killed when their bus fell into a ravine while they were on their way for a picnic in Shopian district.

Kishtwar’s deputy commissioner, Angrez Singh Rana, said 10 of the 17 injured were airlifted in a helicopter to Jammu, around 230 km away, for treatment in view of their critical condition. He said the exact cause of the accident remained a subject of investigation. “But the minibus was overloaded. The driver’s negligence cannot be ruled out,” he said. Rana said that the 28-seater bus was carrying 52 passengers.

Kishtwar’s senior police superintendent, Shakti Pathak, said the condition of the road was bad and the minibus was apparently overloaded. “It seems the driver lost control near a curve and the vehicle rolled down into a gorge,’’ he said. Pathak added 20 passengers died on the spot and 15 more succumbed to their injuries at the Kishtwar district hospital.

The accident prompted J&K governor, Satya Pal Malik, to order the cancellation of licences of untrained drivers. It was not immediately clear how such drivers would be identified. Malik, who has helmed the state since June 2018 in the absence of an elected government, said many of the drivers plying buses in the state are untrained. “Most of the accidents take place due to careless and untrained drivers, who drive without any regard for rules,” Malik said in a statement.

He announced a compensation of ~5 lakh each for the families of the deceased. He promised a thorough probe into such accidents. He added “strong decisions” would be taken to ensure strict action against those responsible for such avoidable accidents.

A spokesperson for Malik said the governor had a few months ago directed the transport department to take unfit vehicles and untrained drivers off the roads.

Officials blamed speeding for the June 27 accident in Shopian. Shopian deputy commissioner, Owais Ahmad, had said the accident happened near a curve, which is wide enough. He added the road condition is also good and that it appears the driver was over speeding as the vehicle went over a parapet.

A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had said that prima facie investigations into the Shopian accident revealed that the vehicle had old worn out tyres and that it was given fitness certificate last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Kishtwar accident. “The accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar is heart-wrenching. We mourn all those who lost their lives and express condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest,” he tweeted.

Former chief ministers, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, too, expressed their grief.