Two UP residents dead, 12 injured as cab rolls down into gorge on Srinagar-Jammu highway

Banihal, Nov 13: Two men hailing from Uttar Pradesh died while a dozen others including four children were injured after a taxi cab they were on board skidded off the road and plunged into several hundred metres deep gorge at Samadhi Morh, Digdole area of J&K’s Ramban district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on Saturday morning. An official told Greater Kashmir that the cab bearing registration number JK03 A 6391 was on way to Banihal from Jammu when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into deep gorge at about 1000hrs this morning resulting in the death of two travelers and injuries to a dozen others.

In the accident, Gulzar Ahmad, son of Mohammed Irfan, 19, a resident of UP and 24-yr-old Sameer Ahmad, son of Tahir Ahmad, also from UP died. The injured have been identified as Jameela, daughter of Fayaz Ahmad of Neel aged 7 years, Nasir Khan son of Arshad Khan of UP’s Hewa, aged 19, Aikra, 2 and half years old, Akya, aged 8, Ara Bano daughter of Fayaz Ahmad of Neel aged 4, Soib Khan son of Akhter Hussain aged 18, Sohail Khan son of Irfan Khan of UP, driver Manzoor Ahmed son of Bashir Ahmed of Neel aged 28, Khaleda Begum wife of Fayaz Ahmed of Neel aged 35, Arif Ahmad, son of Akhter Hussain of UP aged 22, Ashu of UP aged 35 and Usman son of Mohammed Akbar also from UP aged 19. Of them, Ms Khaleda and Ms Ashu have been referred to GMC Jammu in a critical condition.
Local sources told Greater Kashmir that the cab was spotted by a CRPF Batallion after which the troopers swung into action and started a rescue operation. They were later joined by local police, Army and civil rescuers and retrieved the bodies while shifting the injured to the hospital.

Medical Superintendent at DH Ramban Dr AH Zargar confirmed that 12 of the injured were brought to the hospital. GK