8 killed, 9 injured in Karnah accident

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 9/25/2012 12:16:20 AM

Overloaded Sumo carrying 17 falls in gorge

SRINAGAR, Sep 24: At least eight people were killed and nine others sustained injuries in a major road accident today in frontier district Kupwara in North of Kashmir.
The mishap occurred when an overloaded Sumo, having 17 people including the driver on board, was traveling from Karnah to Jadbi located on the mountain top. The Sumo skidded off the road and rolled down into Cobra Nallah, killing six on the spot. Another two died succumbed to injuries in Tanghdar Sub-District Hospital and Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences.
“It (Jabdi) is a far off mountainous area. The Sumo was carrying the passengers there and it somehow skidded off during the uphill climb and fell into the 1000 feet deep gorge,” the officials at Karnah police station informed Kashmir Times.
Of the injured nine people, five have been shifted to SKIMS and are reported critical.
“Actually six were referred, but one succumbed to injuries…The five persons have injuries on head and other parts and are serious,” the officials said.
The accidents have been common place in the Jammu and Kashmir, killing a high percentage of people each year. As per the official figures, at least 1,070 persons died in road accidents in 2011. A total of around 7,059 accident cases were registered in the year, leaving 10,700 persons injured in both divisions of the state.
In the still previous years, the number of persons killed in road accidents has been higher than the causalities in militancy related operations. In 2008, for instance, the total number of people killed in militancy related incidents in the state was less than 100 while almost 800 persons were killed and over 5,000 injured in traffic accidents.
The public blames underdeveloped roads and traffic mismanagement for the mishaps.
“The roads here are mostly hilly, and in a very poor state. Dozens of people die due to that… See how many accidents take place on the Jammu-Srinagar highway every year,” Sakib Altaf, a pharmacist commented.
“We have a high risk of accidents due to topography and climate,” added Ismail Hamdani, a College student, “the government shall make efforts to bring down the death rate.”

 

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