17 passengers killed as mini bus falls into gorge in J-K's Kishtwar

At least 17 passengers were killed and 16 more injured when a mini bus skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Friday, officials said.

The accident occurred at Dandaran, near Thakrai, when the driver of the mini bus, which was on its way to Kishtwar from the Keshwan area, lost control of it and the vehicle plunged into the over-300-foot gorge, near the Chenab riverbed, on Friday morning, they said.

"A total of 17 persons died and 16 others injured in the unfortunate incident," District Development Commissioner (Kishtwar) Angrez Singh Rana told PTI.

He said the dead included three women and the driver of the ill-fated vehicle, Ashraf Hussain.

Interestingly, Hussain was fined by the traffic police for overloading on Thursday, officials said.

Rana said most of the victims died on the spot. One of the 11 critically injured persons, airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment, was declared brought dead by doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu.

The district development commissioner, who led the operation along with Senior Superintendent of Police Rajinder Gupta, said, "The next of the kin of the deceased will be given an ex gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh each, while Rs 50,000 will be given to each of the injured persons."