Nine dead, five injured in Kathua mishap

Jammu, Feb 22: At least nine persons died and five others were injured after a passenger vehicle skidded off and fell into a deep gorge in Kathua district of Jammu.
The incident happened around 5:30 PM in a remote Malhar village of Kathua district. According to reports, the driver of the vehicle lost control, drifted off the road and rolled down a 300 feet deep gorge. The injured have been sent to a nearby hospital, several of whom are said to be in critical condition.
Rescue operations are still going on, as per last reports. An investigation is underway and further details are awaited.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a truck driver was killed after his vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Ramban district early on Saturday morning, police said.
The deceased was identified as Jagdish Kumar (40), a resident of Udhampur district’s Ramnagar area, they said.
The truck, which was loaded with washing machines and refrigerators, was on its way to Srinagar from Jammu. It skidded off the road and rolled down into a 400 feet deep gorge at Chamalwas near Banihal in Ramban around 5 am, a police official said.
Rescuers immediately swung into action and pulled out the driver’s body, he said.
The body was handed over to Kumar’s family after completion of legal formalities, the official said.