The minibus had 38 passengers, largely students and other daily commuters, and was much past its carrying limit. Police stated that given the serious injuries suffered by 9 passengers, the death toll may rise.
Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district said that at least 11 passengers were murdered and 25 more were hurt after the overloaded minibus they were riding in went off the road and crashed into a steep valley on Wednesday morning.
A police officer remarked, “The death toll is likely to rise in light of the critical injuries sustained by 9 passengers.”
The minibus crash happened at about 8.30 am. Jammu is 250 kilometres away from Poonch.
The Canter minibus (Jk 12/1419), according to the officer, was travelling from Gali Maidan to Poonch when it went off the road and plunged into a 100-foot-deep canyon beside the Barari Nullah (rivulet) in the Sawjiyan neighbourhood close to the Line of Control (LoC).
38 people, mostly students from a government school and other everyday commuters, were crammed into the minibus, which was overcrowded beyond its carrying capacity, he continued.
Locals, police officers, and soldiers from a nearby unit raced to the scene shortly after the accident and started a rescue effort. They transported the injured and dead to the Poonch district hospital.
Among those killed included two boys aged 5 and 14 years, two teenage girls and a woman.
Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant governor (LG), has expressed sorrow over the deaths.”Disappointed by the deaths caused by a car accident in Sawjian, Poonch. Condolences to the families of the deceased. May those who were hurt quickly heal. The deceased’s nearest of kin will receive 5 lakh. directed Civil and Police agencies to offer the greatest care
