JAMMU: No less than 21 passengers died and 51 had been injured Monday after their bus skidded off the highway and fell right into a gorge in Jammu’s Udhampur district.Preliminary probe pointed to mechanical failure, driver error, highway situation or a mixture of the elements as attainable causes for the 10am crash within the hilly Khagote space marked by winding ghat roads.Officers mentioned the bus rolled down the gorge and landed the wrong way up on a highway beneath, crushing an auto-rickshaw whose occupants suffered accidents. The bus was on its method from Ramnagar to Udhampur city. “It misplaced management whereas negotiating the hilly stretch,” DIG (Reasi Vary) Shiv Kumar Sharma mentioned.An Military convoy passing by stopped after noticing the accident, with its personnel main rescue earlier than J&Ok police and locals pitched in to shift the injured passengers to close by hospitals. Many had been later rushed to Govt Medical School & Hospital in Udhampur city. Some had been despatched to Jammu.Based on officers, 19 of the passengers died on the spot. “Two critically injured individuals succumbed to accidents at Udhampur District Hospital,” DIG Sharma mentioned.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief. The PM introduced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh every for the kin of every deceased and Rs 50,000 every for critically wounded passengers. “Pained to listen to in regards to the lack of lives attributable to a bus accident in Udhampur. I lengthen my heartfelt condolences. I pray for the speedy restoration of the injured,” Mosi posted on X.J&Ok chief minister Omar Abdullah additionally condoled the deaths and prolonged assist. “Whereas no quantity of help can ever make up for the irreparable lack of lives, as a right away succour, the CM has introduced quick reduction of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of every deceased, Rs 1 lakh for these severely injured, and Rs 25,000 for these with minor accidents,” Omar’s workplace posted.J&Ok lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha assured all attainable help, calling the accident “heartbreaking”. “My deepest condolences to the bereaved households. Could God grant them energy,” Sinha posted on X. Union minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh vowed all assist, saying he had spoken to native authorities. “My honest condolences to the bereaved households,” Singh posted on X.The hilly forested patches of Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu area have seen a number of deadly highway accidents over time attributable to a harmful mixture of steep gradients, slender carriageways, blind curves, seasonal highway deterioration and heavy site visitors.On Jan 22 this yr, 10 troopers died after their bulletproof Military car skidded off the highway in Doda’s Khanni High space and fell right into a 200-ft gorge.On Could 31, 2024, 22 pilgrims from UP died when their bus plunged right into a ravine in Jammu’s Akhnoor. Thirty-eight passengers had been killed after their bus fell off a steep slope in Doda on Nov 15, 2023. On July 1, 2019, 35 individuals died when an overloaded bus fell right into a gorge in Kishtwar, whereas 24 lives had been misplaced after a bus met with an identical accident in Udhampur on Could 12, 2015.