5 dead in Zojila Pass accident

Ganderbal, Dec 7: Five persons died after a vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident near Zojila Pass on Srinagar-Leh highway on Thursday afternoon.

An official said that a Xylo car on the way from Sonamarg to Kargil rolled down into a deep gorge near Zojila Pass, leading to the death of five persons.

Soon after the incident, Police in Sonamarg, SDRF, and a medical team from Public Health Centre Sonamarg rushed to the accident spot and launched the rescue operation.

A Police official said that five bodies were recovered from the accident spot, adding that the deceased were residents of Kargil district.

The deceased have been identified as Muhammad Hussain, 26, Muhammad Amin, 38, Abdul Hadi, 36, Shabir Hussain, 36, and Muhammad Akbar, 55, all residents of Kargil district.

The accident took place just two days after another mishap left four tourists from Kerala and a local driver dead at Zojila Pass.

In three days, two fatal accidents claimed 10 precious human lives in the area. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic Rural, Kashmir, Ravinderpal Singh told Greater Kashmir that the accident happened around 3:30 pm on Thursday, adding that after ascertaining the cause of the accidents, the reason was mostly over speeding.

He said measures were being taken to avoid such tragic accidents.

“We have stopped traffic movement of vehicles carrying tourists upto zero point for Ladakh bound vehicles. We will have a mobile team to check the movement of traffic and any violation,” Singh said.

He said that the drivers should follow traffic advisories regularly issued by the Police and Traffic Department.

Zojila Pass connecting Ladakh and Kashmir valley is said to be one of the most treacherous drives in the world as it passes through high mountains.