15 July — In a tragic road mishap, seven persons lost their lives and several others sustained injuries when a tempo traveller skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Ponda in Bharath tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday.
According to officials, the vehicle bearing registration number JK06 4847 was en route from Aul to Doda when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle at a sharp curve near Ponda around 9 a.m., causing it to roll down a steep slope.
Local residents and members of Ababeel NGO were among the first to reach the accident site and initiated rescue operations. The police, led by Station House Officer (SHO) Doda Parvez Khandey, arrived shortly thereafter and supervised the evacuation of victims.
The injured were shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Associated Hospital in Doda, where a medical team is providing treatment. Officials said that arrangements were being made to refer critically injured persons to Jammu for specialised care.
Deputy Commissioner Doda and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Doda visited GMC Doda to assess the situation. They instructed the hospital authorities to ensure prompt and quality medical attention to the injured. Among those critically injured is a five-year-old child.
Due to inclement weather, helicopter evacuation was delayed. Officials stated that in light of the urgency, the critically injured would be transported to Jammu by road until airlifting becomes feasible.
The DC, SSP, and SHO expressed grief over the loss of lives and conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families.
MLA Doda, Mehraj Malik, also expressed sorrow over the incident. In a statement, he said: “Deeply saddened by the tragic road accident near Ponda on the Bharath Road. My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate incident. I urge the administration to ensure immediate medical assistance to the injured and take all necessary steps to avoid such accidents in the future. May the departed souls rest in peace and the injured recover at the earliest.”
Naeem ul Haq Wani is Senior Editor of The Chenab Times.
