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School bus skids, falls in gorge

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/12/2012 12:42:16 AM

3 killed, 54 injured in Babareshi mishap

SRINAGAR, July 11: At least three people were killed and 54 others mostly students were injured Wednesday after an over-crowded school bus carrying students and the staff to a picnic spot fell into a gorge at Nambalnar-Tangmarg in Baramulla district, around 50 km northwest of Srinagar city.
Police said three people including a school teacher, driver of the bus and a student were killed while 54 others (mostly students) were injured today when a school bus carrying them to a picnic spot skidded off the road and fell into a approximately 55 feet gorge.
Official sources, however, put the number of injured on higher side, maintaining that the bus was carrying passengers beyond its capacity. This was also confirmed by Director School Education.
“In this accident three died including a student, driver and a teacher, while 54 were injured out of which 17 were shifted to Sub District Hospital Tangmarag, 23 were referred to SMHS Srinagar, 9 to SKIMS and rest were shifted to JVC hospital Bemina,” said well placed sources in the police department.
Dr Showkat Ali Zargar, director Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, said that nine injured students were admitted in the Institute. “Only one student around 10-years old is admitted in surgical ICU but he is out of danger. All other eight students are stable,” Dr Zargar told Kashmir Times.
Dr Nazir Ahmad Choudry, Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital informed Kashmir Times that 23 students were admitted in SMHS out of which five were later on referred to SKIMS. “Almost all are stable. Only one girl Riffat, daughter of Abdul Hamid, a resident of Khumriyal, has been operated and her ruptured spleen has been removed. She is on ventilator.”
Eyewitnesses said that the injured were immediately removed from the collapsed bus and ferried to nearest hospital by locals and critically injured were referred to Srinagar hospitals for treatment.
The ill-fated vehicle bearing registration number JK14-6144 was on its way from Kupwara to a picnic spot near Gulmarg.
The students were of Iqra Educational Institute Khumriyal in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and they were on way to Gulmarg for excursion.
A 7th class student, Ovais Manzoor Dar, his teacher Jahangir Ahmad Dar (25) and driver, Akhter Hussain Ganaie (29) died on spot. No sooner the news about accident spread, locals and policemen rushed to the spot to carry out rescue work.
Locals said the driver of the vehicle lost control while negotiating a curve on the road though he was not at the high speed. They said the road was narrow and it led to the accident.
The accident shocked the people and thousands of people from adjoining villages rushed to the spot. Civil administration, police, CRPF and army were present on the occasion for rescue operations.
However, without the help of CRPF and locals, things would have been worse, the locals said.
“If CRPF personnel and locals would not have come forward causality would have been more,” said a police official stationed in Baba Reshi, which lacks basic health and disaster management facilities. Local residents shouted slogans against district administration.
From government side, Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani rushed to SMHS and other Hospitals where the injured students were shifted for treatment to enquire their welfare.
The Minister enquired their welfare and instructed hospital authorities to ensure all possible medicare facilities to the injured students for their early recovery, said a statement issued by the government.
Meanwhile, Government has announced Rs. 1 lakh each to next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 25 thousand each injured out of Chief Ministers relief fund.
Minister for Transport, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Minister for Rural Development Department, Ali Muhammad Sagar Minister for Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Agha Syed Ruhullah and Advisor to Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul have expressed deep shock and grief over the demise of three persons including 1 student who died in the accident.