Srinagar: Five members of a family were killed while a minor girl escaped miraculously after a vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident at Ragi Nallah in Doda district of Jammu division.
Officials said that the accident took place when a vehicle (Ecco) plying on Doda-Batote stretch of Chenab Valley plunged into a roadside gorge at Ragi Nallah near Assar in Doda district.
They said the driver has lost control over the vehicle and fell into a deep gorge, resulting in on spot death of five members of a family.
Officials identified the deceased as Bhaag Devi, wife of Girdhari Lal, Rakesh Kumar, son of Datta Ram, Ajit Singh, son of Dhyan Singh, his wife Chander Rekha and son Ishan Singh.
Police said that during the initial investigation, it came to the fore that a total of six persons were travelling in the vehicle and five bodies were found lying at the gorge.
“We launched a rescue operation at the accident site during which three-year-old Anaya, daughter of deceased Ajit Singh was found lying nearby who escaped miraculously in this tragic accident,” the officials informed.
The minor girl is having minor injuries but is stable and out of danger, they said, adding that she has been shifted to Doda district hospital for treatment.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Doda Dr. Sagar D Doifode told KNO that five persons got killed in the accident and one minor girl got injured.
J&K LG Manoj Sinha offered condolences to the families of the deceased.“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in an unfortunate road accident in Doda district. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, may God give them strength to bear this loss,” the LG said.
Monday’s accident is another addition to the fatal circle of such deaths and injuries which continue unabated.Alone on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, over 8,128 road accidents and 1,750 resultant fatalities have occurred in the last decade, recent data shows.
The accidents in the Kashmir valley overall are seeing an upward trend, as figures reveal that a total of 10,850 people were killed in 65,398 road accidents across Jammu and Kashmir in last ten years.As per data compiled by the traffic department, since 2010,65,398 road accidents happened in which 10,850 people have lost their lives and89,597 people received injures.
In 2010, a total of 1073 persons were killed while as 8655 people were injured. In 2011, 1121 persons were killed and 9944 injured.
In 2012, the death toll rose to 1165, while as 9755 persons were injured, 990 persons died. Around 8681 persons were injured in 2013. In 2014, 992 persons were injured and 8043 were injured. In the year 2015, 917 people were injured and 8142 persons were injured. In 2016, 958 were killed and 7677 were injured.
In 2017, 926 were killed and the injured persons were 7419. In 2018, 984 people were injured and 7845 injured. In 2019, a total of 996 persons were killed, 7532 were injured. In 2020, 728 people were killed, while as 5894 were injured. (KNO)
