Four feared drowned as car falls into Chenab in J-K's Doda district

At least four persons were feared drowned after a private car skidded off the road and rolled into the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Tuesday, an official said.

The accident took place at Shibnote-Karara along the Batote-Kishtwar National Highway around 7.30 pm, Subdivisional Magistrate (Thathri) Athar Amin Zargar said.

Quoting preliminary information, he said the car was on its way to Kishtwar from Doda when it rolled down into the fast-flowing river.

A police party, along with local volunteers and rafters of JK Adventures who are stationed near the accident site at Shibnote, launched a rescue operation but there was no trace of neither the vehicle nor its four occupations, the official said.

Reinforcements have been rushed to the scene and a massive search operation is underway to trace the victims, he added.

Former chief minister and Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is touring Doda and Kishtwar districts, was spotted at the scene of the accident in a video shared from the area.

He was accompanied by his colleague and former minister GM Saroori, who could be heard in the video appealing for expediting the rescue operation.

Azad was returning after addressing public rallies at Changa-Bhalessa and Gali-Batoli in Doda district, officials said.