15 killed after vehicle falls into gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir

At least 15 people including four children were killed and 22 others injured Friday after a vehicle carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The accident took place at 11:40 a.m. (local time) in Mandir Gala area of Rajouri district, around 140 km northwest of Jammu city, the winter capital of India-controlled Kashmir.

“In a deadly road accident today 15 people were killed and 22 others were injured, some of them seriously, when a bus carrying them fell into a 400-500 feet gorge in Mandir Gala Rajouri,” said a police spokesman posted at Police Control Room, Jammu. The injured were admitted to district hospital for treatment and bodies were retrieved from the mangled vehicle.

“Of the 22 injured passengers 12 seriously injured were air lifted to Jammu GMC hospital for specialized treatment,” a government spokesman said.

According to officials, the ill-fated vehicle was on its way from Kandi to Rajouri.The region’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor N N Vohra have expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. The local government has announced a monetary relief of 1,841 U.S. dollars for every family that has lost member and 184 U.S. dollars for the every injured in the accident.

Deadly road accidents are common in this mountainous region often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.

Friday 8 March 2013

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