JAMMU, Oct. 1
At least 33 tourists from West Bengal were injured after a sleeper bus overturned on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Thursday, prompting a rescue operation by police, local residents and emergency services.
The accident occurred near Jakheni along National Highway 44 when the bus, carrying tourists towards Kashmir, overturned on the road.
Police and rescue teams rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the accident and began evacuating the injured passengers.
All 33 injured tourists were shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Udhampur for treatment.
Medical Superintendent Dr Sanjay Verma said the hospital received 33 injured passengers following the accident. Most had sustained minor injuries, while some required further medical examination and treatment.
Two of the injured passengers were subsequently referred to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu for specialised treatment.
The passengers were tourists from West Bengal travelling towards the Kashmir Valley when the accident occurred.
The sleeper bus was extensively damaged after overturning, while images from the site showed emergency personnel and local residents assisting passengers and carrying out rescue operations.
The accident briefly affected traffic movement along the busy highway as authorities carried out rescue work and dealt with the damaged vehicle.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is the principal all-weather road connecting the Kashmir Valley with Jammu and the rest of the country. It carries substantial passenger, tourist and freight traffic every day.
The route passes through difficult mountainous terrain, with several stretches requiring careful driving because of gradients, curves and changing road conditions.
Authorities have not yet established the precise cause of Thursday’s accident.
There was no immediate official confirmation on whether the bus overturned because of excessive speed, a mechanical problem, road conditions or another factor. Any determination of the cause will depend on the police investigation.
The incident comes during continued tourist movement towards the Kashmir Valley, with visitors from different parts of the country travelling through Jammu by road.
West Bengal represents an important source of domestic tourists for Jammu and Kashmir, with organised groups frequently travelling by buses and other commercial passenger vehicles.
The immediate response after Thursday’s accident focused on evacuating the passengers and ensuring medical treatment.
Local residents joined police and emergency personnel in helping the injured passengers out of the overturned vehicle before they were transported to hospital.
The condition of those admitted to the Udhampur hospital was being monitored, while the two passengers requiring more specialised medical attention were transferred to Jammu.
No fatalities were reported in the information released following the accident.
Police are expected to examine the vehicle and circumstances surrounding the crash as part of their investigation.
The accident also underlines the importance of road safety on National Highway 44, particularly for commercial passenger vehicles carrying tourists over long distances.
For now, the priority remains the treatment of the injured passengers. Thirty-three tourists were taken to hospital following the crash, with two requiring referral to Jammu, while authorities work to determine what caused the sleeper bus to overturn near Jakheni.
