Amarnath Yatra bus accident: 16 killed, PM Modi says pained by loss of lives

The bus carrying Amarnath yatris met with an accident at Nach Nalla in Ramban area of Jammu, on the national highway.

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Amarnath Yatra bus accident: 16 killed, PM Modi says pained by loss of lives
Rescue operation are on

In Short

  • At least 30 people were injured in the accident on the national highway
  • The bus met with an accident at Nach Nalla in Ramban area of Jammu
  • Rescue operation has been launched by police and Ramban administration

Sixteen Amarnath yatris were killed and several injured when a bus carrying them fell into a gorge in Jammu. At least 30 were injured in the accident. Among the injured yatris, 19 are being airlifted for treatment. 8 others have minor injuries.

The bus met with an accident at Nach Nalla in Ramban area of Jammu, on the national highway. The bus had gone deep into the gorge while going from Jammu to Pahalgam.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "extremely pained by the loss of lives of Amarnath yatris... My thoughts are with the families of the deceased".

Police said that in the afternoon one yatra bus bearing registration No. Jk02Y-0594 fell into Nashrana Nallah in which about 40-42 yatris were travelling.

According to the police, the bus carrying the pilgrims skidded off the road, turned turtle and rolled down into the nullah at Nachlana belt of Ramban late this afternoon. Traffic movement on Jammu-Srinagar national highway has been stopped temporarily due to landslides at Khuni Nallah and Ramsoo.

RESCUE OPERATION LAUNCHED

Rescue operation has been launched by police and the Ramban administration.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed deep shock and grief over the death of Amarnath yatris in the tragic road accident on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The accident comes just few days after eight Amarnath yatris were killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir's Anantnag district. Seven people, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked a bus full of Amarnath pilgrims in near Khanabal in Anantnag district on Monday (July 10) night. Another woman yatri succumbed to her injuries on July 16.

The attack on the bus (GJ 09 Z 9976) was part of a series of strikes that first targeted security personnel.

Also read: Amarnath Yatra attack: Death toll rises to 8 as another woman succumbs to injuries

Also read: Amarnath terror attack not due to intelligence failure: Government to Opposition