Ganderbal, Nov 10: At least 18 people, including the driver, were injured after a Tempo Traveller carrying tourists plunged nearly 60 feet into a gorge near Gund Sumbal Power House in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Tuesday. Six of the injured are stated to be critical.

The accident occurred in the Kangan area when the vehicle, travelling from Sonamarg towards Srinagar, reportedly veered off the road and plunged into the gorge.
Soon after the incident, local residents and police personnel launched a rescue operation and evacuated the injured from the accident site. Ambulances were mobilised from several nearby health facilities, including PHCs Sonamarg, Gund and Ganiwan.
The injured were initially shifted to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Gund, where they were provided first aid before being referred to SKIMS Soura, Srinagar, for specialised treatment.
Confirming the incident, SDPO Kangan Rajesh Raina that 18 persons, including the driver, had sustained injuries. He said all the injured were shifted to PHC Gund before being referred to SKIMS Srinagar. Six among them were stated to be critical.
According to the list of injured persons, the occupants included tourists from Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat, Murshidabad and other areas of West Bengal, and Gurdaspur in Punjab.
Several injured persons reportedly sustained head injuries, while others suffered trauma to the hip and chest.
The exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. Preliminary reports suggest that overspeeding may have contributed to the driver losing control of the vehicle, though police are investigating the circumstances leading to the mishap.
The accident has once again drawn attention to road safety concerns along the Sonamarg-Srinagar highway, a busy route frequented by tourists visiting the picturesque hill destination.