18 Injured as Tourist Vehicle Falls into Gorge in J&K; Ahmedabad, Surat Passengers Among Victims

Srinagar: At least 18 tourists, including passengers from Ahmedabad and Surat, were injured after a Tempo Traveller plunged into a nearly 60-foot-deep gorge near Gund Sumbal Power House in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Tuesday. Eight of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

The accident occurred near Gund Sumbal in the Kangan area when the vehicle was travelling from Sonamarg towards Srinagar and reportedly veered off the road before falling into the gorge.

Local residents and police personnel rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations. Ambulances were mobilised from Sonamarg, Gund and Ganiwan, among other locations, to transport the injured to nearby medical facilities.

The injured were initially taken to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Gund, where they received first aid. They were subsequently referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, Srinagar, for further treatment.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Kangan Rajesh Raina confirmed that 18 people, including the driver, sustained injuries in the accident. He said eight of them were critically injured and that all the injured were shifted to SKIMS after receiving initial medical assistance at Gund PHC.

Preliminary identification of 12 injured passengers, including the driver, revealed that they were from Gujarat, West Bengal and Punjab. Among those identified were tourists from Ahmedabad and Surat, as well as Murshidabad in West Bengal and Gurdaspur in Punjab.

The identified passengers from Ahmedabad included Sharda Ben (58), Ramesh Bhai (59), Shobha Ben (50) and Rajesh Kumar, while Dayisha (42) was identified as a resident of Surat. Passengers from West Bengal included Swarnadyuti Ghosh (24), Mala Ghosh (48) and Surajit Ghosh (61). Mukesh Bhai, Kala Ben and Rohan Bhai from Gujarat were also among those identified. Jagdish, a resident of Gurdaspur, was identified as the driver.

According to preliminary information, some of the injured sustained serious head injuries, while others suffered injuries to the hip and chest. Further details regarding the condition and identification of the injured are awaited.

Overspeeding is suspected to have caused the accident, with preliminary findings indicating that the driver may have lost control of the vehicle. However, the exact cause is yet to be established.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed officials and the SKIMS director to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.

“I have directed the officials and the Director, SKIMS to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. Praying for their speedy recovery,” Sinha said in a post on X. DeshGujarat