10 dead, 42 injured in Kathua bus accident

Jammu, Feb 18 (UNI) At least ten people died and 42 others were injured, three of them critically, when a rashly-driven bus carrying the passengers, skidded off the road and fell into an 80-feet-deep gorge, this afternoon on Basholi-Bani Road in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police here said.

The bus, which was on its way from Basholi to Bani, fell into a gorge near Barmar Gala (seven km from Basholi), when the driver tried to negotiate a sharp turn, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua, J P Singh told UNI.

''Seven passengers died on the spot, while three of them succumbed to their injuries on way to the district hospital,'' he added.

''Three critically injured passengers were immediately referred to the Government Medical College, Jammu, while some of the passengers have been admitted to Basholi and Kathua hospitals,'' he informed.

According to the eye witnesses, the bus was overloaded and failed to take a sharp turn on the curve and skidded off the road, police said.

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