9 Bihar labourers among 10 dead as SUV falls into Ramban gorge

At least 10 persons, including nine labourers from Bihar, were killed when a cab veered off road and fell into a 500 metre gorge amid heavy rain on Jammu-Srinagar national highway during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday in Ramban district, said officials. The driver of the cab was also killed in the mishap.
The accident took place near Battery Chashma on NH-44 around 1.15am, said Ramban deputy magistrate Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary.
The vehicle ferrying the labourers was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar. “While the debris of the cab, believed to be a Tavera, has not been traced yet, 10 bodies have been recovered on the steep slope,” the DC added.
He said that police, quick reaction teams and other officials were at the spot and supervised rescue operations.
“It was a sort of free fall. The chances are grim for any survivors,” Chaudhary said.
He said that two identity cards were recovered from the site of crash. The deceased were identified as Inderjeet and Udahesh (both brothers), Vipan, Rajan, Kailash, Sandeep, Raj Kumar, Ram Vilas and Hari, all residents of Tiprasi in Bihar and cab driver Balwan Singh, a resident of Amb Gharota in Jammu district.
The bodies have been shifted to Ramban district hospital. It was pitch dark in the deep gorge and raining heavily last night when the accident occurred, said the DC.
Ramban senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anuj Kumar said,“The site where the crash happened has cemented crash barriers and the road is wide enough as well. The reason behind the accident would be known only after a detailed probe but prima-facie, it appears that amid rains, the road turned slippery and the driver might have felt drowsy.”
He said that the kin of the deceased have been informed on the basis of the identity cards recovered from the site.
Drones have been pressed to locate the debris of the vehicle and the investigators suspect that it might have fallen into the swollen Bisleri Nullah, a seasonal rivulet.
A case under sections 279 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Ramban police station.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences and expressed sorrow over the incident.
In a post on micro-blogging platform X, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “PM Modi has expressed grief on the accident in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir. He extends condolences to the bereaved families and prays for a quick recovery of the injured.”
“An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000”, the post added.
J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha also expressed grief over the loss of lives.
In a condolence message, he said: “I am deeply shocked to learn of the unfortunate road accident in Ramban, in which precious lives have been lost. I send my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I have issued instructions to the district administration and divisional commissioner to render all assistance, as provided in rule, to the kin of victims.”