Aid truck for Warwan fire victims rolls into gorge near Margan Top

Anantnag, Dec 12: A truck transporting bricks from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district for fire victims in Warwan plunged into a deep gorge near Margan Top on Wednesday night, leaving the conductor dead and the driver injured.

The truck (JK03E 2017), met with the accident at Naadibalan along the Kokernag-Margan-Warwan road, which remains treacherous during winter due to heavy snowfall and icy conditions.

The conductor, identified as Bilal Ahmad Khatana, 35, from Guridraman village, lost his life in the accident.

The driver, Mumtaz Ahmad Tidwah, 37, from Matihandoo village, sustained critical injuries and was promptly rescued by locals and Police.

He was later evacuated for medical treatment.

The truck was carrying bricks for families in Warwan’s Mulwarwan village, where a devastating fire on October 14 left over 70 families homeless.

Several humanitarian organisations have provided relief and construction materials for reconstruction, which is set to begin in summer due to extreme winter weather conditions.

The Kokernag-Margan road, the only route connecting the remote Warwan and Marwa valleys of the Kishtwar district to the rest of the region typically shuts down during winter.

However, this year, as of now, with little snowfall recorded around Margan Top, the road remains slippery and dangerous rather than completely inaccessible.