Authorities said four passengers including a lady were killed and five more were injured in a road accident in Sarthal area of Kishtwar in Chenab Valley on Wednesday.
Reports said a passenger vehicle, a Maruti Eeco bearing registration number JK17-6487, was on way from Palmar to Sarthal when the driver lost control over the vehicles.
“The cab met with an accident. Four persons including a woman died on spot while five others were injured. All the injured were airlifted to GMC Jammu for advanced treatment,” a senior police official said.
The official said that the condition of the injured is serious. “They are being given the best possible treatment and all efforts will be made to save them,” a Kishtwar district administration official said.
The deceased have been identified as Smita Devi, daughter of Jai Lal, a resident of Hugumar Kishtwar, Girdari Lal, son of Naik Chand, Munshi Ram, son of Jodh Ram, both residents of Palmar Kishtwar and Sanjay Kumar, son of Bhagat Ram, of Sarthal Kishtwar.
“The bodies have been retrieved from the site of the accident and they will be handed over to legal heirs after completing medico-legal formalities,” the official said.
The accident in Chenab comes a day after 16 persons, including four minors, were killed in a road accident in Doda district. The tragic mishap was yet another bloodied reminder of the complete anarchy that rules the roads in Jammu and Kashmir.
A passenger cab, supposedly meant for only nine passengers and the driver, was ferrying 17 persons from Doda when the driver lost balance. The vehicle, a Chevrolet Tavera, plunged into more than 300 feet deep gorge, adding to the gory statistics of the fatalities that occur on J&K roads every year.
Barring one passenger who is battling for life at Government Medical College in Jammu, all the occupants of the fated vehicle, which also include women, were killed.
“Such tragedies can be averted if the authorities stop such vehicles from plying on the roads in the first place. Overloading in public transport is not an exception. It has become a thumb rule and strict action needs to be taken against offenders,” Suhail Nabi, a student of Kashmir University, said.