Sixteen Amarnath pilgrims were killed and around 31 were injured, when a bus skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and rolled into a deep nullah in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, officials said.
PTIrRAMBAN (JAMMU)rrThe deceased included two women and belonged to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, they said. Sixteen of the injured persons were critical, the officials added.rA J&K State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) bus carrying pilgrims skidded off the road, turned turtle and rolled down into the nullah at Nachlana belt of Ramban late this afternoon, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Mohan Lal said.rThe bus was part of a convoy carrying 3,603 pilgrims from Jammu to the twin base-camps of Baltal and Pahalgam for the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas. rAccording to police officials, 16 persons were killed and around 31 were injured in the accident. Out of them 21 were airlifted in a chopper to Jammu for specialised treatment and 10 were shifted to a Srinagar hospital. rPolice, Army and CRPF, with help from locals, launched rescue operation and brought out the dead and injured from the nullah, they said.rHome Minister Singh spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mufti and took stock of the situation, officials said.
