Woman among 5 dead, 19 injured in tragic accidents

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 21: Five persons including a woman lost their lives while 19 others received injuries in three tragic road accidents in the mountainous Ramban and Doda districts today.
According to the police, two persons were killed and 15 others sustained injuries, 13 of them seriously, when a tempo traveler they were traveling in, skidded-off the road and plunged into deep gorge on Khellani-Goha road in Doda district.
The ill-fated vehicle bearing registration number JK02AP-8479 was on its way to Doda from Goha, when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve as a result of which vehicle plunged into 150 feet deep gorge near village Batroo on Khellani-Goha road, causing death of one woman and injuries to 16 passengers including the driver.
The locals immediately rushed to the spot and started evacuating the injured persons from the ill-fated vehicle. They were later joined by the police personnel. All the occupants of the vehicle were brought out of the gorge and rushed to District Hospital Doda, where doctors declared a woman passenger as brought dead.
Keeping in view critical condition of 13 passengers, the Deputy Commissioner Doda, Bhupinder Kumar approached the Divisional Commissioner for making arrangement of chopper to airlift the injured to Jammu for specialized treatment in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Though, the Divisional Commissioner Dr Pawan Kotwal immediately approached the Group Captain of Indian Air Force at Jammu but the latter expressed inability to press helicopter into service for airlifting injured persons on certain grounds.
As condition of 13 injured persons was deteriorating continuously for want of specialized treatment, the Doda MLA, Shakti Raj Parihar approached the Minister of State in the PMO and Member of Parliament from Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary Constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh and sought his intervention in pressing helicopter into service.
Dr Jitendra Singh immediately approached the Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar and subsequently necessary directions were passed to IAF senior officers in Jammu. Thereafter, chopper was pressed into service and six injured passengers were airlifted to Jammu. Seven more injured persons were shifted to Jammu via road in the ambulances of the Health Department.
One of the injured who was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital via road later succumbed to injuries raising the toll in the accident to two.
The deceased have been identified as Shakela Begum, wife of Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Gur Marmat and Mumtaz Ali (25), son of Aziz Din Bhat.
The injured have been identified as Nahida Begum (19), wife of Mumtaz Ahmed, both residents of Batote, Tariq Hussain (35), son of Atta Mohammad, Sajjad Ahmed (29), son of Bashir Ahmed, Umar Farooq (18), son of Mohammad Sharief, Pawan Kumar (26), son of Amar Nath, Amar Singh (40), son of Dhiyan Singh, Aaqib (19), son of Ashiq Hussain, Firdous Ahmed (25), son of Mohammad Ramzan, Asiya Begum (30), wife of Tariq Hussain, Farooq Ahmed (40), son of Shamas Din, Mohammad Imran (17), son of Ashiq Hussain and a 20-days baby, daughter of Tariq Hussain, all residents of Barri Marmat, Gohar Mushtaq (26), son of Mushtaq Ahmed of Sadiwara, Naseema Begum (30), wife of Shoket Ali and Yawar (5), son of Shoket Ali of Beoli Doda.
Meanwhile, an Alto car bearing registration number JK13B-7259, which was heading towards Srinagar from Jammu, plunged into gorge near Shahbanbas area of Banihal tehsil in Ramban district in the wee hours after the driver felt sleepy.
In this accident, four persons sustained severe injuries and all were rushed to Sub-District Hospital Banihal where two of them were declared as brought dead. The remaining two persons were rushed to Srinagar Hospital for specialized treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Shokat Ahmed (driver), son of Abdul Aziz and Mohfeel Ahmed, son of Ghulam Mohi-u-Din, while the injured have been identified as Mohammad Akbar, son of Abdul Satar and Mohammad Shafi, son of Ghulam Mohammad, all residents of Zigam, Pulwama.
A case under FIR Number 29/16 under Section 279, 337 and 304-A RPC has been registered at Banihal police station and investigation started.
Meanwhile, a truck bearing registration number JK03D-7334, which was on its way to Srinagar from Jammu, met with accident near Battery Chashma area of Ramban district.
The driver reportedly lost control over the vehicle resulting into tragic accident.
On getting information about the accident, police team led by SHO Inspector Naveen Angral, teams of SDRF and QRT and Army personnel rushed to the spot and started rescue operation.
After four hours long operation, all the three occupants of the ill-fated vehicle were brought dead out of the gorge and rushed to District Hospital where one of them was declared as brought. Two injured persons were later referred to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for advanced treatment. Their condition was stated to be out of danger when reports last came in.
The body of the deceased identified as Naeem Ahmed Wani, son of Ghulam Nabi Wani, a resident of Bhatpora, District Anantnag was handed over to legal heirs after completing legal formalities.
The injured have been identified as Majid Ahmed (driver) and his brother Majid Ahmed, sons of Habibulla, a resident of Khanabal, Srinagar.

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