A bus packed with passengers tragically fell off a highway bridge and plunged into a deep canyon.
The bus was transporting Hindu pilgrims heading for a revered shrine in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
The deadly incident occurred while the bus, journeying from the city of Amritsar in Punjab to the town of Katra, plummeted off a highway bridge and into a Himalayan gorge. Indian officials confirmed a grim toll of at least 10 fatalities and injuries to 57 other passengers.
The police believe that the bus, overloaded with passengers, lost control close to Jammu City. The victims were primarily from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, with a significant number from the same family. Following the report of the accident, a rescue operation was initiated by local residents and authorities, and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
The Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, a critical Hindu religious location, attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees annually. This disaster has profoundly impacted the pilgrim community and brought the crucial issue of road safety in India into the spotlight.
India’s high rates of road fatalities remain a major concern, with a significant number of deaths and injuries reported each year. The high incidence of road accidents is frequently attributed to factors such as reckless driving, poor road conditions, and old vehicles.
