10 Dead, 30 Injured After Bus Carrying Vaishno Devi Pilgrims

New Delhi: A bus fell into a gorge after skidding off a bridge in Jammu district, killing eight persons and injuring 30, news agency ANI quoted official as saying on Tuesday. The bus was on its way to Katra and had pilgrims from outside Jammu and Kashmir who were going to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The incident took place near Jhajjar Kotli - about 15km from Katra in Jammu district. The famous shrine is located on top of Trikuta hills and Katra is the base camp for the visitors.

The rescue operation was launched by local residents and police who reached the spot. The injured were taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu.

The bus was going from Amritsar to Katra, towards Mata Vaishno Devi and rolled down the Jhajjar Kotli bridge. Around 8 people died and around 30 were injured. The injured people have been shifted to a hospital. All other teams - paramilitary teams and SDRF - are helping the Police. Locals are helping too so that people can be evacuated and rescued," ANI quoted SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli as saying.

A Rajasthan-bound bus carrying Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims overturned in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on May 21, resulting in the death of a 27-year-old woman and injury of 24 people.