J&K: 10 killed, 32 injured as bus falls in deep gorge following terror attack

A report put the death toll at ten, adding that it might go up further as the condition of some of the injured was critical.

The bus was on its way to Katra, the basecamp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, from Shiv Khori, a cave-shrine devoted to Lord Shiva in the Sangar village of Reasi’s Pouni area. The police said that the incident occurred at a place called Kanda-Teryath.

Reasi’s SSP Mohita Sharma told reporters that apparently the driver of the ill-fated bus lost balance following the bus came under terror attack and it fell into the gorge. “There are no two opinions about it being a very unfortunate incident. Initial reports with us suggest that militants had laid ambush in the area, and they opened fire on the bus which had just left Shiv Khori and was on its way to Katra.”

She added, “It was because of the firing that the driver lost balance and the bus fell in a gorge. We immediately started a rescue operation. Nine are feared dead and 33 are injured who were evacuated to the (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi) Narayana (Super speciality) Hospital and the District hospital of Reasi”.

She said that the identities of the victims are being ascertained but they were not locals and could be the residents of Uttar Pradesh.

Asked if there were any inputs about the presence of militants in the area, the SSP said, “We were on high alert for the past several days. The Shiv Khori shrines had been fully secured and the area domination operations had been launched in the adjoining areas and also practice fire exercises were carried out with the Village Defence Guard (VDGs).”

Earlier the Reasi district police wrote on its Facebook wall, “Today a group of terrorists attacked a yatri bus coming from the Ransoo area of district Reasi. Due to the attack, the driver of the bus lost control and the bus fell into the deep gorge near the Kanda area of Pouni, Reasi. Due to the accident, 09 people are feared dead and rest injured. Rescue operation was completed at the earliest and the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals.” It added, “Senior officers of police and other forces rushed to the spot and the area was cordoned off. Search operation launched”.

The media centre of Jammu’s zonal police wrote on ‘X’, “Today at 6:10 PM in Pouni, Reasi district, terrorists attacked a bus carrying yatris from Shiv Khori to Katra, causing it to crash into a gorge. With local help, police evacuated all by 8:10 PM”.

A police source said that a bullet hit the driver of the bus after which he lost control over it, and it plunged into a gorge. Meanwhile, Reasi’s DC Vishesh Mahajan has confirmed that ten people were killed in the accident.

On May 30, at least, 22 pilgrims were killed and 57 injured after a bus they were travelling to Shiv Khori skidded off a hilly road and fell in a 150-feet deep gorge in J&K’s Akhnoor area Most of those killed and injured were residents of UP’s Hathras and Aligarh areas.