At least 21 passengers were killed and several others injured when a bus plunged into a deep gorge in the Chungi Marh area of Akhnoor in Jammu district this afternoon, according to officials.
"The bus veered off the road into a deep gorge near Chungi Morh on the Jammu-Poonch highway," a government official told reporters.
The bus was travelling from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The injured have been rushed to the sub-district hospital in Akhnoor, with critically injured patients being referred to the Jammu Government Medical College for treatment.
"A bus carrying passengers from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, has met with an accident near Tanda, Akhnoor in Jammu," said the Jammu Deputy Commissioner.
Efforts are underway to establish the identities of the deceased and injured, while the police have initiated an investigation into the incident.
This incident occurred just hours after the engine of the Sampark Kranti Express derailed at Jammu railway station on Thursday. Officials reported no injuries in that incident.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who had been killed. Rs 50,000 will be given to each injured person, he posted on X, expressing anguish over the loss of lives.
President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the deaths, posting on X that she was “Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured.”
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