Three separate accidents in Kargil, Kathua and Doda trigger rescue operations; three persons still missing in Drass River
Jammu Tawi/Srinagar, June 24: Four persons lost their lives, three others remained missing and 25 people were injured in three separate road accidents reported from Kargil, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir over the past 24 hours.
One killed, three missing after car plunges into Drass River
In Kargil district, one person was killed while three others went missing after a car plunged into the Drass River near the Marpoochoo area of Drass on Tuesday.
Officials said a Fronx car (registration number LA01-4920), carrying four persons, skidded off the road and fell into the river.
The body of 35-year-old Agha Syed Baqir, son of Syed Muslim and a resident of Lankerchay, was recovered from the Thanda Morh area of Chowkiyal.
The three missing occupants were identified as Sajad Hussain (26), son of Haji Abbas of Lankerchay; Hasina Banoo (25), daughter of Mehmood Hussain of Gato Lankerchay; and Sogra Banoo (23), daughter of Mohammad Ali of Gato Lankerchay.
Police and rescue teams launched a massive search operation along the Drass River immediately after the accident. Efforts to trace the missing persons were continuing when reports last came in.
Authorities said the exact cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained and further investigation was underway.
23 pilgrims injured in Kathua minibus accident
In another incident, at least 23 pilgrims were injured, two of them critically, after a minibus carrying devotees to the revered Sukrala Mata shrine plunged into a gorge in the Simbli area of Kathua district on Wednesday.
Officials said the minibus was on its way to the shrine when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll down into the gorge.
All the injured passengers were rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Doctors were closely monitoring the condition of the two critically injured pilgrims.
The rescue operation was jointly carried out by the police, civil administration and local residents, who rushed to the spot immediately after the accident.
Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the mishap.
Three of a family killed in Doda mishap
Meanwhile, three members of a family were killed and two others injured after a car skidded off the road near the Khellani Tunnel in the Pakki Hatti area of Doda district on Wednesday evening.
Officials said the vehicle (JK02DB-6037) lost control near the tunnel while five members of the family were travelling in it.
Three occupants died on the spot and were identified as Sonakshi (17), Jai Singh (46) and Babu Devi (44), all residents of Nagrota, Jammu.
The injured, Vaishali Devi (22) and Aryan (13), were shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Doda, for treatment.
Police have registered the case and started an investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to the accident.
