Jhajjar Kotli/Jammu: Ten Vaishno Devi pilgrims, most of them from Bihar, were killed and 57 injured on Tuesday as the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and rammed into the railing of a bridge before falling off it, officials said.
The death toll may go up as Government Medical College Hospital Principal Shashi Soodan said two of the injured admitted there are critical.
The officials said the bus, which was on its way to Katra from Amritsar, met with the accident in Jhajjar Kotli area on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway between 6.30 and 7 am. Katra is a base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous shrine atop the Trikuta hills.
They said most of the travellers were members of an extended family from Bihar’s Lakhisarai and were on pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi temple for a ritual of a child.
“The accident took place at Jhajjar Kotli bridge. Ten people have died. Rescue operation is almost complete,” Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police Chandan Kohli told PTI. “We are investigating the reasons behind the accident.”
Local residents, CRPF and police personnel rushed to the spot and launched the rescue operation.
“The troops of 137 CRPF battalion carried out the rescue operation to evacuate injured driver and passengers from the bus, which turned turtle and fell down from Jhajjar Kotli bridge on highway,” the force said in a tweet.
“Two persons were brought dead while others died on the spot,” said GMC hospital principal Soodan.
Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbagh Singh said prima facie, the cause of accident appeared to be human error or over speeding.
