One Dead, 16 Pilgrims Injured as Bus Falls Into Gorge in Jammu

Jammu: One person died and 16 were injured as a bus carrying pilgrims from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine in Katra met with an accident in the Manda Zoo area near Jammu on Saturday.

The vehicle veered off the road and fell into a gorge, resulting in the instant death of the driver. Police and emergency teams rushed to the spot and rescued all the injured passengers, officials said.

"All the injured have been rescued and are being sent to a medical facility for treatment," police officials stated.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. 

“This bus was going from Katra to Jammu. 19 passengers were there. Almost all of them have been rescued. The driver is still stuck there, and we are trying to rescue him. All the passengers are stable,” SSP Traffic,  Jammu, Fiesel Qureshi said.

Office of J&K LG Manoj Sinha tweeted, "The road accident at Manda in Jammu is saddening. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the family of the driver who lost his life. I hope that the injured recover at the earliest. I have directed the senior officials to extend all possible help to the injured pilgrims."

A rescue operation is underway. 

Further details are awaited.