J&K: Road accident claims 17 lives, injures 27

, May 20: In a road

enroute Srinagar to Kashmir valley, 17 people were killed and 27 were severely injured when a bus fell into a deep gorge in the Jammu region today. It is said that the driver had lost control at Digdol on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Ramban district, 170 kilometers from Jammu.

"Seventeen passengers have died so far, while 27 are injured," said an official, further adding that the seriously injured were being airlifted via helicopters and were being shifted to Jammu.

Most of the passengers were youths from Rajouri and Poonch districts who were heading to the Kashmir Valley for a recruitment rally. A few other passengers were from Gujarat.

The Army personnel posted in the region are assisting the civil administration with the rescue and the relief operations.

OneIndia News