37 dead, 14 injured after bus plunges into gorge in J&K's Doda: Official

Srinagar, Nov 15: Thirty-seven persons were killed and 14 injured, three of them critically, after a bus they were traveling in plunged into a 300ft deep gorge in the Assar area of mountainous Doda region of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

Talking to our Doda correspondent, DIG DKR Range, Sunil Sharma confirmed the deaths of 37 people in the tragic mishap. He said 14 persons have been injured in the mishap. "Three are critically injured. Preparations have been made to airlift them to Jammu," he told Greater Kashmir.

Mr Sharma said that the mishap took place after a bus (registration number JK02 CB 6555) with over 50 people on board went out of the driver's control while he was negotiating a sharp curve.

"The bus fell into a 300ft deep gorge," he said, adding that a rescue operation was launched immediately and injured shifted to the nearest health facility.

Mr Sharma said that over-speeding seems to be a likely cause of the mishap as there was "double protection" on the road. "The bus had broken both the crash barrier and the parapets before plunging into a gorge," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed anguish over the loss of precious lives in the accident and announced an ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased, and the injured passengers.