8 killed as bus falls into gorge in Jammu

Jammu :  At least eight persons were killed and 35 others injured in a bus crash in the mountainous Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday afternoon.

Police sources in Rajouri said a passenger bus was on its way from Rajouri town, 180 km north of Jammu, to Rehana, when it fell into a 200-feet-deep gorge near Palma Puli Morh.

“Eight people died on the spot while 35 others were injured,” the sources said.

The injured have been shifted to Rajouri Government Hospital where the condition of at least three passengers is described as critical.

The police said the accident could have occurred because the heavy rains of the past two days had left the ground a muddy slush, in which vehicles could skid.

The mountainous areas of Jammu and Kashmir are notorious for road accidents, attributed mostly to overloading of passenger buses, poor maintenance of vehicles, shabby road conditions and the dearth of mountain driving skills.