Heavy Gen Sets, transformers in truck lead to more casualties

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 27: From among 16 dead of a major truck accident at Zamoorha Morh along Mansar road in Samba district late last night, a number of pilgrims of Shri Amarnath ji had died due to injuries suffered from heavy generator sets, transformers and utensils loaded in the vehicle as death toll in the mishap today went up to 16 while 16 others including the truck driver were injured.
Governor NN Vohra, who happens to be the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed sympathies with the bereaved families and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured but have so far not announced any kind of relief for next to kin of dead or the injured pilgrims.
It was only the Red Cross, which through Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Mubarak Singh, gave a meager amount of Rs 3000 each to the injured for treatment.
It was the Army in Samba, which with the help of Shiv Shakti Jan Seva Samiti Langar Sarojini Nagar/ Shastri Nagar, New Delhi, whose workers (yatris) were travelling in the truck, arranged transport for shifting bodies of 16 dead including two children to their home towns in Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.
“There was no help from the Government to shift the dead bodies to their home towns’’, official sources said.
DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, JP Singh told the Excelsior after visiting the spot that one 6 ton heavy generator set, electric transformers of 200 kgs each and a large number of utensils and other items had been loaded in the truck along with 32 pilgrims and workers of Shiv Shakti Langar, New Delhi.
“As the truck had rolled down hardly 100 to 200 feet deep into gorge at Zamoorha Morh on Samba-Mansar road, the casualty figure was more due to injuries suffered by the pilgrims with the heavy transformers, Gen Set, utensils etc’’, Mr Singh said, adding: “as the truck rolled down the heavy equipments struck the pilgrims causing them injuries including some of them fatal’’.
The DIG said the casualties would have been very less had the heavy equipments sent in an additional truck.
A Trustee of Shiv Shakti Jan Seva Samiti Langar, Sarojini Nagar/Shastri Nagar, New Delhi, which had set up the community kitchen at Baltal base camp, said they hired a truck from their own funds with the help of Army for shifting dead bodies of the victims from Jammu to different States.
Nitin Sehgal, the Trustee from New Delhi, who was returning to New Delhi along with the bodies, told the Excelsior on telephone from enroute that neither the SASB nor the State Government provided them any sort of help to shift the bodies.
“We did it all on our own. It was the Army in Samba, which helped us arranged the truck’’, he said
Meanwhile, death toll in the accident today went up to 16 with three more persons succumbing to their injuries. An equal number of pilgrims were injured and were undergoing treatment in the Government Medical College, Jammu.
Thirteen pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured in the accident, which had taken place at 11 pm yesterday night when the ‘langar party’ trucks was returning from the base camp to New Delhi. Truck driver Balbir Singh of Raipur Camp, Samba failed to properly negotiate a very sharp curve sending the truck rolling down deep into the gorge in the darkness at Zamoorha Morh of Samba-Mansar road.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Samba, Munish Anand said a case has been registered in the accident and all aspects including negligence part would be investigated. The truck has been seized but it was completely damaged.
Sources said the pilgrims, who were serving in Shiv Shakti Langar, New Delhi, were returning to their home towns along with the material as the langar was being closed down few days ahead of yatra due to declining number of yatris now visiting the holy cave shrine of Shri Amarnath ji.
Sixteen pilgrims killed in the accident have been identified as Harinder Halwai, 26, son of Sarnam Gujjar R/o Madhya Pradesh, Durgan son of Dhani Ram, 35, R/o Uttar Pradesh, Raj Kumar Singh, 27, son of Rati Ram R/o Agra, UP, Sukhi, 26, son of Sat Pal Singh R/o UP, Gungun, 8, daughter of Vijay Kumar R/o Delhi, Rakesh alias Rinku, 25, son of Bharat Bushan R/o Delhi, Gajinder Singh, 27, son of Ramveer Singh R/o UP, Ramdev, 35, son of Krishan Singh R/o Agra, Sunil Singh, 25, son of Nathu Singh R/o UP, Amit, 24, son of Deepak R/o Delhi, Hari Narayan, 40, R/o Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep Singh, 28, son of Sat Pak R/o New Delhi, Vijay alias Babloo R/o Shastri Nagar, Delhi, Deepak, 12, son of Pappu R/o Delhi, Shankar, 40 son of Subran Singh R/o Madhya Pradesh and Sonu, 20, son of Vimal Mandal R/o Kolkata.
The injured, who were referred to Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu from District Hospital, Samba, have been identified as Bishan Lal, 45, son of Ravi Lal R/o New Delhi, Danu, 7, son of Bablu R/o New Delhi, Amit, 30, son of Bharat Bhushan R/o Delhi, Ravi, 13, son of Shambu R/o New Delhi, Deepak, 12, son of Ashok Kumar R/o New Delhi, Truck driver Balbir Singh, 50, son of Hans Raj R/o Raipur Camp, Samba, Vikas, 20, son of Prithvi Raj R/o Delhi, Rajesh, 15, son of Rakesh Choudhary R/o Uttar Pradesh, Ganshyam, 35, son of Lal Choudhary R/o Uttar Pradesh, Soni, 20, wife of Amit R/o Shastri Nagar, New Delhi, Boby, 21, son of Uppan R/o Kolkata, Sunil, 13, son of Balbir R/o Samba, Rajbal Singh, 40, son of Baljeet Singh R/o Uttar Pradesh, Hari Krishan, 28, son of Puran Chand R/o New Delhi, Mahraj Paul, 22, son of Suresh R/o Delhi and a baby of seven years age.
Sources said barring driver Balbir Singh, condition of all other injured was stable and they were likely to be discharged tonight or tomorrow morning. The injured have been asked to stay in the hospital till they arranged transport for them to reach their home towns.
Eight injured were admitted in Disaster Management Ward, five in Ward No. 6, two in Ward No. 2 and driver in Room No. 4 of Emergency.
Sources said eight pilgrims had died on spot while six other injured succumbed to injuries before reaching District Hospital Samba or in the District Hospital. Two injured Harinder Halwai of Madhya Pradesh and Durgan of Uttar Pradesh died in the GMC Jammu.
Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra, who happened to be the SASB Chairman, has expressed concern and grief over the loss of lives in the trucks accident at Mansar road. He has conveyed his sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured.
An official handout said the Governor directed Deputy CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to visit the GMC and extent support to the injured.
The Governor has asked DGP Ashok Prasad to personally review the causes of frequent road accidents in the State, particularly on several stretches of the National Highway, which has resulted in heavy losses of life. He has asked the DGP to direct immediate measures to check the accident.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also expressed grief over the sad demise of Shri Amarnath yatris in the road accident.
In a condolence message, Omar conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls.

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