According to police, the bus bearing registration number JK02CN6555 hit the crash bar, causing it to veer off the road and tumble down a steep slope approximately 300 feet near Trungal in the Assar area.
This marks one of the most significant bus accidents in Doda in recent years. On July 1, 2019, 35 people lost their lives when an overloaded minibus fell into a gorge in Kishtwar's Sangwari area. On September 14, 2018, 17 passengers were killed when a minibus plunged downhill in the Dandaran area of Kishtwar.
The authorities received information about Wednesday’s accident around 11.50am. Officials said the bus, carrying passengers beyond its capacity, was negotiating a sharp turn when it overturned. The vehicle crashed into the side railing before rolling down the slope.
“We examined all the details of the vehicle. It was reported that the bus was not being driven correctly, leading to the accident,” Doda DC Harvinder Singh said.
Tragic bus accident in J&K: At least 36 dead, several injured as bus plunges into gorge in Doda
PM Narendra Modi expressed his distress over the accident, offering condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Additionally, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each death and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu, Union home minister Amit Shah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and several political leaders conveyed shock and sadness over the tragedy. They extended wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured.
A video clip from the accident site depicted a grim scene, with police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, and locals striving to assist the injured. The injured were initially transported to a hospital in Doda, with four of them later airlifted to the Government Medical College in Jammu. “Later, two critically injured persons died,” an officer said.
Doda Bus Accident Latest: PM Modi ‘distressed’ as 36 people die in horrific bus accident in J&K
The bodies, some of which were badly mutilated, were extracted by cutting portions of the mangled bus. An officer said: “As of now, six women among 21 deceased passengers have been identified.” The identified victims will be handed over to their families.
The poorly maintained road has been a site of frequent accidents, with locals emphasising the need for repairs. Mohammad Ashraf, the sarpanch of the area, criticised the administration for not acting despite at least 10 recent accidents, reports PTI.
On February 23 this year, the J&K administration had appointed a five-member committee to investigate increasing road accidents on the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road and suggest preventive measures. Jammu divisional commissioner Ramesh Kumar constituted a three-member committee to ascertain the cause of the latest accident and submit its report within a week.
Other fatal accidents this year include seven people killed on May 24 when a multi-utility vehiclefell into a gorge in the Dachan area of Kishwar, and eight people killed on August 30 when their car went off the road into a 300-foot gorge in Kishtwar. On June 27, five people were killed when their vehicle fell into a gorge on the Bhadarwah-Pathankot road in Doda. Three more fatalities occurred in road accidents in Doda district on October 8 and October 20.
(with agency inputs)
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