Three Army personnel were killed on Sunday after their truck plunged into a gorge measuring 200 to 300 metres deep near Battery Chashma on National Highway 44 in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
According to the Station House Officer (SHO), Inspector Vikram Parihar of Ramban, the truck was part of a convoy travelling from Jammu to Srinagar along the National Highway when the incident happened.
A swift rescue operation was launched, involving the Quick Reaction Team (QRT), police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, and local volunteers. Inspector Parihar added that deceased soldiers are being transported to the District Hospital in Ramban.
Recent Similar Accidents In J&K
In a similar incident reported in March, two people were killed after a load carrier carrying fresh vegetables fell off the road into a deep gorge in Ramban district, a police officer said, as quoted by PTI.
The victims, driver Arshid Ahmad and Seva Singh, the helper, both about 30 years old, were on their way back to their village, Ukhral Pogal-Paristan, when the vehicle met with an accident near Battery Cheshma along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
The officer said a joint rescue operation was launched by the police and the local volunteers, and the bodies were retrieved from the gorge, which was several hundred feet deep.
A different incident that occurred during the same month claimed the lives of four people and injured eight, when the vehicle they were in skidded off the road into a deep gorge in the Reasi district, officials said.
The accident took place in the Gangode area when the driver of the tempo traveller apparently lost control of the vehicle and skidded into the gorge.
Local police and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) quickly arrived at the incident to assist. Three were pronounced dead on the scene while one later succumbed to their injuries while en route to the hospital. The eight injured passengers were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Also Read: J&K: 3 Army Personnel Killed After Vehicle Rolls Down 700-Foot Gorge In Ramban
