RAMBAN, Oct. 3
A tourist from West Bengal was killed and 56 people, including nine security personnel, were injured in two road accidents within about half an hour on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Ramban district on Saturday.
The first accident occurred near Maroog at around 8.50 am when a passenger bus travelling from Srinagar towards Jammu went out of control and collided with a hillside.
The bus, bearing a West Bengal registration number, was carrying a group of tourists returning after a holiday in Kashmir.
A woman passenger identified as Jamuna, a resident of West Bengal, was killed, while 47 other passengers were injured in the crash.
Four of the injured, identified as Suchitra, Lakshwanti, Kedar Patra and Fouji Ram, were shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu for further treatment.
Officials said the remaining injured passengers were stable and were expected to be discharged after receiving medical attention.
The accident triggered an immediate rescue operation involving local authorities and security personnel.
A Quick Reaction Team comprising personnel from Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force was dispatched from the District Police Lines in Ramban to assist at the accident site.
However, the security vehicle itself met with an accident while the team was heading towards the location.
The vehicle overturned near Kela Morh, injuring nine members of the rescue team.
The injured included six police personnel and three CRPF personnel.
Officials said all nine security personnel were in stable condition.
The two incidents brought the total number of injured to 56, comprising 47 passengers from the tourist bus and nine security personnel travelling in the rescue vehicle.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the death of the woman passenger and directed the district administration to ensure appropriate treatment for those seriously injured.
Sinha said he had spoken to the Ramban Deputy Commissioner to review the situation and ensure that the seriously injured people shifted to GMC Jammu received the best possible medical care.
He also conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also contacted Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan following the accident.
Singh said all possible assistance and medical aid were being provided and that his office remained in contact with the district authorities.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is the principal road connection between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country and passes through difficult mountainous terrain in Ramban district.
Saturday’s incidents also presented an unusual rescue challenge, with personnel responding to the original passenger bus crash becoming casualties themselves when their vehicle overturned while travelling to the scene.
The first accident left one tourist dead and dozens injured, while the second added nine police and CRPF personnel to the casualty count.
Authorities were concentrating on medical treatment for the injured, particularly the four passengers transferred to GMC Jammu.
Officials reported that the other injured passengers and all nine security personnel were stable.
The two accidents left one person dead and 56 injured within roughly half an hour on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, turning what began as a tourist bus crash into a wider emergency response in Ramban.
