At least 38 people were killed and more than 20 injured after a passenger bus skidded off and rolled down a steep slope in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
The accident took place in Doda, about 200 kms from capital Srinagar.
The 42-seat bus, with 55 passengers on board, was on its way to Jammu from Kishtwar town when it veered off the road and fell down about 400 feet, an official said.
The accident is reported to have been caused by the driver’s negligence, who hit the crash bar of the road.
Residents and authorities rushed to the scene and a rescue operation was launched.
A video clip from the site showed a grisly scene of several bodies, as rescuers tried to help the injured who were taken to nearby health facilities. Those in critical condition were transported to a hospital in Jammu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was “distressing” and offered his “condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones”.
“I pray that the injured recover at the earliest,” he posted on X, adding that government compensation of Rs 2 lakh would be offered to the next of kin of those killed, and Rs 50,000 to those injured.
Home Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished to learn about the loss of precious lives”.
“The local administration is conducting the rescue operation in the gorge where the bus had the accident,” he wrote.
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