JAMMU: Ten people died when their taxi skidded off and plunged 800ft into a gorge in J&K’s
Ramban district
early Friday. The deceased included
migrant workers
from Bihar on way to Srinagar and their local driver.
According to police, the accident occurred on the Jammu-Srinagar highway (NH44) in Battery Chashma area around 1.15am. “Prima facie, it appears heavy rain and poor vision at night may have resulted in the accident.
But investigations are ongoing,”
Ramban SSP Anuj Kumar
said.
The bodies were scattered over the hillside along with Aadhaar cards from the luggage, helping the cops get clues about the victims’ identities. But the taxi, a Tavera SUV, is yet to be found, the SSP said, adding drones were being used to trace it. The rescue operation is being carried out by police, SDRF and other personnel.
The deceased were identified as driver and Jammu native Balwan Singh, Vipin Mukhiya, Inderjeet, Udahesh, Rajan, Kalaish, Sandeep, Raj Kumar, Ram Blas and Hari.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives. “An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased,” the PM wrote on X.
President Droupadi Murmu, J&K lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha and Union minister Jitendra Singh also condoled the deaths. The accident spot falls in Singh’s LS constituency in Jammu. “Rescue operation is on. I’m in constant touch,” Singh wrote on X.