At least 22 die when bus falls into deep gorge in northern India

[News_Editor]

At least 22 die when bus falls into deep gorge in northern India

2011-09-14 09:22:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

KASHMIR (BNO NEWS) -- At least 22 people were killed on Tuesday and nearly two dozen others were injured when a passenger bus lost control and fell into a deep gorge in northern India, officials said on early Wednesday.

Police said the bus was traveling from the Ramban District, located in India's most northern state, Jammu and Kasmir, and headed toward Banihal when the accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, local authorities told the Greater Kashmir news outlet.

Traveling on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, near a place called Khooni Nala known for its high number of casualties, the bus skidded off the road and plunged some 500 feet (150 meters) down the gorge. At least 18 people were killed at the scene, while four more later succumbed to their injuries. In addition, 18 were reported wounded.

Jammu and Kasmir is mostly located in the Himalaya Mountains, and the scene of the accident is extremely steep, making rescue efforts extremely challenging. Local residents, police and army used ropes to lift up the bodies.

After transferring the injured to the district hospital in Ramban, nine of them were later airlifted to the Jammu Government Medical College Hospital due to their critical state, reports said. One victim was transported to the district hospital Udhampur, and four others, who were cutting grass near the gorge, received minor injuries and were discharged after receiving medical treatment.

Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed their deep condolences for the loss of lives to the victims' families and loved ones.

Following the accident, local residents protested against the government due to the lack of ambulances and medical facilities in the region. Angry residents argued that despite the high number of accidents in the area, the shortage of ambulances persists, as civilians usually use their personal vehicles to transport the victims.

India is often the scene of deadly road accidents, many of which are attributed to reckless driving, aging vehicle and overloading. In new figures released last year, India overtook China to top the world in road fatalities.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, there were 126,896 deaths in 2009. This amount represented a 7.3 percent increase in comparison with 2008. Road accidents caused 37.9 percent of the country's deaths due to unnatural causes last year.

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