The wreckage of the ill-fated bus. (Photo via X)
Jammu: Three Border Security Force personnel lost their lives, and 32 others were injured after a bus transporting them fell into a deep gorge in Jammu & Kashmir’s Budgam district, on Friday. The incident occurred in the Brell Waterhail area when the bus, which was engaged in election duty for the second phase of the Jammu & Kashmir assembly election, veered off a hilly road and plunged approximately 40 feet into the ravine.
Budgam comes under the Kashmir division of the Union territory.
According to officials, the bus was carrying 35 BSF personnel at the time of the accident, alongside a civilian driver, who also sustained injuries. Six of the injured BSF personnel are reported to be in critical condition and were immediately rushed to local hospitals for medical treatment. Rescue operations were swiftly launched, with authorities and medical teams dispatched to the scene to provide urgent care to the survivors.
A major accident occurred in Budgam, where a bus carrying BSF personnel plunged into a deep gorge. Rescue operations are currently underway, and medical teams have been dispatched to provide urgent care to the injured. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident pic.twitter.com/ubA3WDXt76
— Jammu Kashmir News Network ?? (@TheYouthPlus) September 20, 2024
Meanwhile, in a post on X, the Jammu & Kashmir State Disaster Response Force said four bodies have been recovered while 36 injured men have been taken to the Budgam District Hospital for treatment. The post didn’t specify if all those four bodies were of the BSF personnel travelling in the bus.
Today on 20/09/2024 a bus carrying BSF soldiers has skidded off the road at Waterhail district Budgam. Joint Rescue operations of SDRF Budgam and other agencies is underway. So far 04 dead bodies and 36 injured BSF pic.twitter.com/VkdPQJTQ37
— SDRF Kashmir (@KashmirSdrf) September 20, 2024
An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the accident. Preliminary reports suggest that the bus may have skidded due to the slippery road conditions, exacerbated by recent rains. Authorities are also reviewing safety protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.
The BSF and local administration have expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives. Senior officials have visited the injured personnel in hospitals and assured them of all necessary support.
