Udhampur: Four persons were killed and several others injured in a head-on collision involving a bus and a Tata Mobile vehicle near Jhakhani bridge in Udhampur district on the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway on Tuesday, officials said.
A police official told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the accident occurred when a bus bearing registration number JK02AS-4127 collided with a Mahindra Tata Mobile vehicle (JK04J-6732) that was parked on the roadside. Three civilians were present on the road changing the tyre of the Tata Mobile at the time of the incident and died on the spot.
Officials said the bus, which was travelling from Chenani, rammed into the parked vehicle while attempting to avoid a collision with a motorcycle. The impact of the crash was severe, resulting in the death of a Central Reserve Police Force personnel of the 52 Battalion who was travelling in the bus. The CRPF personnel was posted in Kishtwar and was reportedly on his way home on leave.
The collision was so forceful that the three civilians standing near the vehicle were thrown off the bridge. Their bodies were later recovered by police personnel from the spot.
Several passengers sustained injuries in the accident and were immediately shifted to Government Medical College Udhampur for treatment. Officials said the condition of some of the injured is being monitored.
Police reached the scene soon after the accident, carried out rescue operations and cleared traffic from the affected stretch of the highway. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the crash. [KNT]
