Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 22: A driver died and 17 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims sustained injuries when a passenger vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 25-30 feet gorge near Manda naka on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway here this evening.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has expressed grief over the loss of life and assured all possible assistance to those injured.
“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,” Sinha wrote on X.
A police official said that the Uttarakhand number bus (UK07PA-5640) was on its way towards Delhi from Katra when it met with an accident near the Manda Naka after the driver lost control over the vehicle.
He said the driver of the vehicle, identified as Rakesh of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, died on the spot and 17 passengers suffered injuries.
With minor or no injuries, they were immediately taken to Government Medical College Jammu by police, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services staff, where their condition is stable, he said.
The injured have been identified as Anjali (58), Nitesh (35), Sudhir Maheshwari (65), all residents of Faridabad, Subash (55), Vrinda (24), both residents of Muzzafarnagar, Meerut, Shruti (25), Dhruv (18), Prachi Sharma (24), Kalyani Sharma (25), Himanshu (20), Akshay (29), Aatish (24), Akansha (27), all residents of Delhi, Vinod Kumar (32) of Himachal Pradesh, Kartikay Tripathi (28) of UP, and Shreya (23) and Sandhya (50), both residents of Meerut.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under the relevant sections of the law at Police Station Pacca Danga and started further investigation into the matter.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
