J&K: 8 Bihar Residents Among 10 Killed After SUV Falls Into Gorge In Ramban

Most of the 10 occupants were from Bihar in the taxi which fell down a 300-ft gorge in Ramban of Jammu and Kashmir.

Rescue work after a passenger taxi rolled down a deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Battery Chashma in Ramban. ( Image Source :PTI )

After bodies were recovered from a gorge in Ramban district on Friday, the police revealed that out of the 10 deceased individuals, eight passengers were from Bihar, while one was from Uttar Pradesh.

According to a PTI report, ten people were killed after an SUV skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and fell into the gorge 300-foot. The incident occurred when the vehicle, a Tavera, on its way to Jammu from Srinagar fell, at the Battery Cheshma area of the district around 1:15 AM, police told PTI. The State Disaster Response Force, police, and civil Quick Response Team (QRT) Ramban reached the spot for rescue operations.

The driver, Balwan Singh, 47, was from Amb Ghrotha in Jammu, and one of the passengers — Sandeep — was from Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh. The eight occupants hailed from Bihar's West Champaran. They were identified as Raju Kumar, Avadhesh Bin, Belas Bin, Indrajit Bin, Bipin Mukhiya, Raj Kumar Bin, Hari Bin, and Rajan Mukhiya.

Senior officials, including Ramban Deputy Commissioner Baseer Ul Haq Choudhary, Ramban Senior Superintendent of Police Anuj Kumar and Deputy Inspector General of Police in Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range Shridhar Patil visited the site. An FIR under relevant sections has been registered and a probe has been launched in the case.

Leaders Condole Deaths Of The Deceased

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief about the accident and extended his condolences to the bereaved families.

“PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief on the accident in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir. He extends condolences to the bereaved families and prays for a quick recovery of the injured.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”

President Droupadi Murmu mourned the loss of lives in the road accident and conveyed her condolences to the bereaved families.

"The news of people getting killed after a vehicle fell into a gorge in the Ramban area on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is very sad. I offer my condolences to the bereaved families," Murmu said in a post in Hindi on X.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad, Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone, and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami offered their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

The party's vice president, Omar Abdullah, emphasized the urgency of completing the promised four-lane highway to ensure that people can undertake their journeys with enhanced safety measures