At least 39 dead and dozens injured after bus slides off Kashmir highway

At least 39 people were killed and 17 injured when a passenger bus slid off a highway and rolled down a steep slope in the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

The bus with 56 people on board was on its way to southern Jammu city from Kishtwar town when the driver lost control in Doda district’s Assar area and it veered off the road and fell down about 660ft (200m) on an older road in the mountainous region, police said.

Indian federal minister Jitendra Singh said a helicopter service was being arranged to airlift the injured.

Mr Singh said the injured were taken to nearby health facilities. At least 10 were in critical condition and transported to a hospital in Jammu.

Video footage run by television broadcasters showed the green passenger bus passing through a police checkpoint through a mountainous road minutes before the accident.

In the aftermath of it, the visuals showed the bus lying in a deep gorge as locals and emergency providers gathered at the site.

“Prima facie, overspeeding and negligent driving appear to be the reason behind the accident. However, a thorough probe will make things clearer. There was a sharp bend on the highway (NH244), but the road was in good condition and the bend had a double protection in the form of a parapet and crash barriers. The bus dislodged them and rolled down the hill,” Doda police official Abdul Qayoom said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s office condoled the dead and announced an ex gratia amount for the families of those affected.

“The bus accident in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is distressing. My condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh ( £1,900) from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs. 50,000 (£480) would be given to the injured,” Mr Modi’s office posted on X.

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said: “Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a tragic bus accident in Assar, Doda. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families and wishing for a speedy recovery of those injured in the accident. Directed Div Com (divisional commissioner) and Dist Admin (district administration) to provide all necessary assistance to affected persons.”

A senior police official told Greater Kashmir newspaper that it seems the bus went out of the driver’s control during a sharp turn on the hilly road.

It said the driver could be likely over-speeding as there was “double protection” on the road.

“The bus had broken both the crash barrier and the parapets before plunging into a gorge,” he added.