12 killed, 26 injured in Poonch road accident

Poonch, Sep 14: Twelve persons were killed and 26 others injured in a tragic road accident at Saujiyan area of Poonch district of J&K.
Officials said that the accident took place when a bus bearing number JK12 1419 was on way to Mandi township from Saujiyan when bus plunged in a deep gorge at Birari Nallah.
“The accident took place at around 08 AM. A rescue operation was started soon after the incident by army, police and locals,” they said.
The officials said that all the injured were evacuated from the site of accident and taken to sub district hospital Mandi from where most of the injured were referred to district hospital Poonch.
“Ten persons died on the spot and two others succumbed on way to hospital” the officials said.
Officials identified the deceased as Maroof Ahmed (14) son of Manzoor Ahmed resident of Gagriyan, Bashir Ahmed (40) son of Mohammada Lone resident of Gagriyan, Razia Akhter (28) daughter of Mushtaq Ahmed resident of Gagriyan, Zarina Begum (40) resident of Gagriyan, Mohammad Hussain (65) son of Mangha Khan resident of Gagriyan, , Nazma Akhter (20) daughter of Bashir Ahmed resident of Gagriyan, Imran Ahmed (5) son of Mohammad Altaf resident of Gagriyan, Abdul Karim (70) son of Subhana Dar resident of Bedar, Abdul Qayoom (40) son of Akbar Din resident of Saral, Shaheeda Akhter (32) wife of Altaf Hussain resident of Gagriyan, and Abdul Majid (65) son of Ahmeda.
Officials said that 26 people got injured in the accident with six among them were airlifted and referred to GMC Jammu while others are under treatment in district hospital Poonch and sub district hospital Mandi.
“Injured include Ghulam Mustafa, Sameer Ahmed, Iram Koser, Mohammad Azad, Hanifa Begum, Liaqit Ali, Nazia Akhter, Mohd Akber, Mohd Iqbal, Tariq Ahmed, Jameel Akhter, Sonya Akhter, Abdul Ahad, Mukhtar Ahmed, Mohd Ismail, Abdul Majid, Nazia Akhter, Mohd Alam, Nazima Akhter, Jasvinder Singh, Sanaullah, Ghulam Mohammad, Adil Ahmed, Kamran Ahmed, Farhan Ahmed, Mumtaz Ahmed and Saleema Akhter,” the officials said.
Police said that a case under relevant sections of law have been registered in police station Mandi under relevant sections of law and investigation has been started.
Meanwhile, J&K’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his pain over the loss of lives in the accident and also visited the Poonch district hospital and met injured and their attendants. “Saddened by loss of lives due to road accident at Saujiyan Poonch,” Sinha tweeted and expressed condolences to bereaved families.
He further tweeted: “May the injured recover soon. Rs 5 lakh will be given to the next of the kin (NoKs) of deceased.”
President of India, Draupadi Murmu expressed her pain over the loss of lives in Poonch Saujiyan bus mishap”.
“The loss of lives in tragic road accident in Saujiyan Poonch is distressing,” the President of India tweeted. “My thoughts and prayers are with bereaved families.”(KNO)