AL Jazeera:
At least 21 people have been killed as a heavily overcrowded passenger bus skidded off the road and rolled down a steep, rocky slope into a gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
An official reported that the accident occurred at around 8.30am (03:00GMT) on Monday near Kanote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, according to the Kashmir News Service (KNS).
Civil administrator Prem Singh said that the 42-seater bus was carrying more than 60 people from the town of Ramnagar to the city of Udhampur when it hit an autorickshaw at a sharp curve in the mountainous region. The bus veered off the road and fell about 30m (100 feet) into the gorge below.
Singh said 19 passengers died on the spot while two others died in a hospital after their evacuation, according to The Associated Press news agency. Around 45 others were left injured, some in critical condition, and are being treated in various health centres.
Most of the victims died due to severe head trauma and internal bleeding, according to a health official at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Ramnagar, cited by KNS.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the accident on social media and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said on X.
India has some of the highest road death rates in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads, and ageing vehicles.
