10 Dead As Bus with Vaishno Devi Pilgrims from Bihar Falls Into Jammu Gorge

Jammu: Ten pilgrims to Vaishno Devi hill shrine died and 55 others were injured after a bus fell into a gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Jhajjar Kotli on Tuesday. The bus, carrying 75 passengers from Bihar was traveling to Katra from Amritsar.

Jammu police sources confirmed that all deceased were from Bihar and the bus was overloaded as it was carrying more passengers than its capacity.

The passengers of the ill-fated bus had come for the ‘mundan’ ceremony for a child. So, the included a Bihar family and their near and dear ones. After having the ‘mundan’ ceremony, they were planning to undertake the yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

All injured were evacuated. A team of SDRF personnel also took part in the rescue operation. The injured were admitted to a hospital in Jammu for treatment.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he was “extremely pained” by the accident. He directed the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to the injured.

“Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Jhajjar Kotli, Jammu. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for a speedy recovery of the injured. Directed district administration to provide all possible assistance & treatment to the injured,” a tweet from the Office of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor read.

Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Jhajjar Kotli, Jammu. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families & prayers for speedy recovery of the injured. Directed district administration to provide all possible assistance & treatment to the injured.

— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) May 30, 2023