New Delhi, July 1: In the wake of the tragic road accident that killed nearly 35 people in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of J&K, Mehbooba Mufti and several other leaders expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. The tragic incident took place after a matador coming from Keshwan lost control and the vehicle fell into a gorge near Sirgwari.
In the wake of the incident, Jammu & Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased and directed the administration to provide best medical treatment to the injured in Kishtwar road accident; 35 have died in the accident.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar, Angrez Singh Rana, the death toll increased from 20 to 35 in just two hours. Rana informed that out of the 17 injured, three people have been airlifted to Jammu. Another helicopter flew to Kishtwar to airlift more injured.
Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter: "The accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar is heart-wrenching. We mourn all those who lost their lives and express condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he is extremely saddened by the incident. "Extremely saddened to learn about the loss of lives due to a road accident in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones. I pray of the speedy recovery of those injured", Shah tweeted.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted saying, "Terrible news coming in about the high death toll in a bus accident in Kishtwar. Condolences to the families of the deceased and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured."
Former Chief Minister of J&K, Mehbooba Mufti also tweeted saying, "Saddened to hear about the tragic accident in Kishtwar. Deepest condolences to families of the bereaved."The incident took place at around 7.30 AM on Monday.
As soon as the incident was reported, authorities rushed to the accident spot to take stock of the situation. The locals, police and the district administration have launched a rescue operation. In the last month, a similar incident was reported from Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir where 11 passengers, including nine girls, died after their vehicle fell into a deep gorge near Peer Ki Gali.