4 accidents in Doda, Ramban claim 8 lives; leave 25 injured
Doda/Ramban, Jul 15: Eight persons, including a minor, were killed and twenty-nine others, including three Amarnath pilgrims, were injured in four separate road accidents in Doda and Ramban districts on Tuesday. In two separate road accidents, seven persons died whereas 19 persons sustained injuries in Doda district while one person was killed and six others, including three Amarnath Yatris sustained injuries, after the vehicles, they were travelling in, met with accidents on National Highway-44 in Ramban district.
Police sources said 7 persons were killed and 17 others sustained injuries when an overloaded local passenger vehicle (Tempo Traveler) in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Ponda area on Doda-Bharth link road on Tuesday morning.
At least 24 people were on board when this accident happened. Official sources said a passenger cab (Tempo Traveler), bearing registration number (JK06-4847), on its way to Doda from village Aul, skidded off the road and fell into a 300 feet deep gorge in the Ponda area, resulting in injuries to 24 passengers, including the driver of the vehicle.
They said soon after the accident a rescue operation, involving locals and Police, was launched and 24 injured persons were retrieved from the gorge. All the injured were shifted to Associated Government Medical College and Hospital Doda for treatment where five persons were declared dead by the doctors.
Police identified the five deceased persons as Mohammad Ashraf, 35, son of Mohammad Assdullah Wani; Mangta Wani, 51, son of Gulam Wani; Atta Mohammad, 33, son of Gulam Mohammad; Tariq Hussain, 35, and Rafiqa Begum, 60, all residents of village Aul, Doda.
They said three critically wounded were referred to GMC Jammu where, later, two injured i.e., Uzma, 5, daughter of Amjad Ahmed, resident of Aul, and Shukar Din, 36, son of Assdullah Wani, resident of Aul, Doda also succumbed, taking the death toll to seven.
Officials said one critically wounded Kulsuma, 33, is still under treatment at GMC Jammu.
Police identified the 15 injured person as Parvaiz Ahmad, 34, son of Gulam Parray, resident of Gundna; Mohammad Rafi, 26, son of Bashir Ahmed, resident of Balli Dhar; Hakim, 22, son of Gulam Mohammad, resident of Dhar; Gulam Mohammad, 36, son of Abdul Subhan; Abdul Karim, 45, son of Assad Wani; Mohammad Rafi, 27, son of Gulam Mohammad; Abdul Rasheed, 42, son of Abdul Gani, all residents of Aul; Mujeeb Ul Rehman, 25, son of Shamasudin Parray, resident of Bhatpura Ludna; Sahil Farooq, 17, son of Farooq Ahmed, resident of Udhyanpur; Saima Banoo, 17, daughter of Lassa Naike; Shama Begum, 45, daughter of Mohammad Amin; Shamila Beg, 30, daughter of Amjad; Auqib Hussain, 20, son of Ghulam Mohammad, resident of Balli Dhar; Abdul Qayoom, 45, son of Ghulam Wani and Auza Banoo, 12, daughter of Gulam Malik, all residents of Aul, Doda. All the 16 are undergoing treatment at GMC Doda.
Earlier Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh, SSP Doda Sandeep Mehta and other senior officers monitored the rescue operation at Government Medical College and Hospital Doda. On the other side, locals of the area again held road maintenance agencies responsible for this tragic road accident. They said concerned road maintenance agencies failed in installing crush barriers at vital vulnerable places on various link roads of the district.
Meanwhile in another accident, Police sources said, a vehicle (Bolero), bearing registration number JK20A-4590, on its way to Bhagwa, skidded off the road and fell into a 20 feet deep gorge near Bhagwa resulting in injuries to two persons, traveling in the vehicle.
They said both injured were rushed to Associated Government Medical College and Hospital Doda. Police identified both injured as Mool Singh, 56 and his wife, Asha Devi, 48, residents of tehsil Kashtigarh, district Doda.
Deputy Commissioner Doda, Harvinder Singh, SSP Doda Sandeep Mehta confirmed that immediate rescue efforts were launched by locals and police teams, who swiftly evacuated the injured to nearby medical facilities. The Deputy Commissioner said that hospitals were instructed to provide comprehensive care to the injured.
SHO Police Station Doda Inspector Parvaiz Ahmed Khanday, while confirming the death of seven people in the Ponda accident, said two separate cases were registered at Police Station Doda for further investigations.
RAMBAN ACCIDENTS
In the neighbouring Ramban district also, one person died and six others, including three Amarnath pilgrims, were injured in two separate accidents on National Highway-44 in Ramban and Banihal areas on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Police, at least three Amarnath Yatris were injured after a bus, in which they were travelling rammed into a crash barrier inside tunnel T1, Kelamorh tunnel near Ramban on National Highway 44, on Tuesday afternoon. They said a bus bearing registration number JK02DD-5141, carrying Amarnath pilgrims, while returning to Jammu struck a crash barrier, resulting in injuries to three people.
They said the trio was rushed to District Hospital Ramban, from where, after providing medical care, they were referred to Government Medical and Hospital Jammu, for specialized treatment.
Police identified the injured as Nidhi Khotorwala, 24, daughter of Narinder Bhai; Jagdish Bhai, 53, son of Laxman Bhai, resident of Randhir Barocha Nagar, district Surat, Gujarat and Hitash Bhai, 49, son of Novneet Bhai, resident of Surat Gujarat.
In another accident, inside Banihal-Qazigund (Navyug tunnel), one person died on spot whereas three others sustained injuries when a Srinagar bound car collided with a Hydra crane engaged for some repair works inside the tunnel on Tuesday afternoon. Police sources said a car collided with a crane working inside the tunnel.
The car was on its way to Kashmir from Banihal when this accident happened. Police identified the deceased as Tariq Ahmed, son of Abdul Aziz Wani, resident of Harbair Kaskoot Banihal. He was an employee of the Health department.They said all three injured were shifted to SDH where after providing medical aid, they were referred to Associated Government Medical College and Hospital Anantnag for specialized treatment.
Police identified three injured as Misra Begum, wife of late Ab Aziz Wani; Wazera Begum, wife of Mohammad Iqbal Wani and Shiza Akhtar, daughter of Mohammad Iqbal Wani, all residents of Kaskoot, Banihal. Police have registered two separate cases at Ramban and Banihal Police Stations for further investigations.
