Fifteen Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 18 others injured when a Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation bus skidded off the road and rolled down in a deep gorge along the 294-km-long Srinagar-Jammu highway in Ramban district late on Saturday night.
The pilgrims were returning home after paying obeisance at the caveshrine in the Kashmir Himalayas. Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which oversees the annual yatra, confirmed that the victims were Amarnath pilgrims.
Its chairman governor N.N. Vohra conveyed his sincere sympathy to the bereaved families. He also prayed for speedy recovery of all those injured in the accident. Shri Mata Vaisho Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) additional CEO Mandeep K. Bhandari was asked to rush to Jammu’s Government Medical College Hospital where the injured are being treated. The SMVDSB is also headed by the governor.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, expressing grief over the deaths, announced an ex-gratia relief of `100,000 to the next of kin of each victim. He also sanctioned a sum of `10,000 each for those injured in the mishap that took place in Ramban district on Saturday night, he said.
Reports said that the ill-fated bus met with the accident near Digdol nallah at about 11.20 pm on Saturday.