A bus carrying pilgrims to the famous Hindu shrine Vaishno Devi in Jammu skidded off a bridge and fell into a gorge in Reasi district of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory on early Tuesday, leaving 10 dead and 55 injured, police said.
Those injured were taken to hospital, where J&K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh met with them.
According to local police, the tragic incident occurred at around 5.30 a.m. (IST) near Jhajjar Kotli village. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jammu Avny Lavasa told reporters that the bus was going from Amritsar in Punjab to Katra town in Jammu when it fell into a deep gorge near Jhajjar Kotli.
A team from State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and local police were deployed to the scene for the rescue operation.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Jammu Chandan Kohli told media that the rescue operation carried out by the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and local police forces was almost complete and all those affected had been evacuated.
The police also said that the bus was carrying more passengers than the prescribed limit, therefore, a probe would be conducted into the incident.
A bus heading from Katra to Jammu with 28 passengers onboard overturned in Reasi district of J&K earlier this month, killing one and injuring 16 others.
In April, 27 passengers were wounded when their mini bus overturned in Udhampur district.