New Delhi: Three Army personnel lost their lives after their vehicle veered off the road and fell into a 700-foot-deep gorge in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Officials said the accident occurred around 11:30 am near Battery Chashma on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), when an Army truck, part of a convoy heading towards Srinagar, lost control and plunged into the ravine.
A rescue operation was immediately launched by teams from the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local volunteers. However, all three soldiers travelling in the vehicle were found dead at the site of the crash. The deceased have been identified as Sepoy Amit Kumar, Sepoy Sujeet Kumar, and Sepoy Man Bahadur. Their bodies are being retrieved from the gorge.
Officials said that the vehicle was completely destroyed in the fall, indicating the severity of the impact. The cause of the vehicle skidding is still being investigated, though the mountainous terrain and sharp bends along NH-44 have long posed risks to commuters.
Similar incidents
The tragic incident adds to a series of similar accidents reported from the Ramban and Reasi districts in recent months. In March, a vehicle transporting fresh vegetables also went off the road near the same Battery Chashma area, leading to the deaths of driver Arshid Ahmad and his helper Seva Singh. The duo, both around 30 years old, were returning to their native village Ukhral Pogal-Paristan when the mishap occurred. Rescue teams managed to recover their bodies from the deep gorge.
In another incident from March, four people lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries when a tempo traveller fell into a gorge in Reasi district’s Gangode area. The driver is believed to have lost control, causing the vehicle to fall. Emergency responders, including the police and SDRF, were able to rescue the injured and transport them to a hospital.
