Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 13: A bus carrying Amarnath yatris this morning met an accident in South Kashmir on National Highway in which two persons were killed and 29 others injured. The locals rescued the yatris and shifted them to hospitals for treatment.
A mini bus bearing registration number JK0IJ/6151 carrying Amarnath Ji pilgrims collided with a truck bearing no.JK02A/5365 at Halmulla Sangam in Anantnag district at around 5 am resulting in the injuries of 30 yatris including driver.
A yatri Pramod Kumar and driver of the bus Bilal Mir son of Mohammad Yousuf of Kangan died on way to hospital. The injured yatris were shifted to Sub District Hospital Bijbehara for treatment.
Seven yatris were discharged after treatment while 22 yatris were shifted to SMHS hospital for specialized treatment.
The yatris praised the locals for rescuing them at a time when there is unrest in Kashmir.
A yatri, A K Arora hailing from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, who is admitted in Srinagar’s SMHS hospital said: “I have come for yatra on July 6. We had come in a group and after having darshan returned through Baltal. We were not allowed to move due to two day bandh. We were allowed to move in a convoy last night. We met with an accident near Sangam. All the vehicles were with us. I somehow managed to come out of the ill-fated bus and sought help from the fellow yatris and the passing Army vehicles but nobody paid any heed. I saw a passerby and sought help”.
Arora said that soon 50 persons came out from a lane. “They demonstrated humanity and this is for the first time I am feeling the true value of humanity which I too want to learn again and again”, he said.
“They reached us after breaking the window panes and doors of the bus otherwise we would have died there. Neither the Army nor the police came to our rescue, they (locals) arranged vehicles and shifted us to hospital where we are being provided best available treatment. I am saying if you want to learn humanity, learn it from the people of Kashmir. Don’t demonise them. I have felt humanity for the first time”, Arora said.
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