36 perish in Occupied Kashmir bus crash

 

At least 36 people were killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday when a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous road and plunged into a deep gorge.

The accident took place on a remote road in the Doda area, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) southeast of the region's capital Srinagar.

"Thirty passengers have died in the accident, caused by the driver's negligence by hitting the crash bar of the road," Indian senior police officer Sunil Gupta told AFP. "The bus tumbled down the mountain some 250 metres (800 feet)."

More than 25 people were also injured in the crash, Gupta said.

A video clip from the site showed a grisly scene of several dead bodies, as rescuers tried to help the injured.

Police said they feared the death toll could rise, with many badly hurt.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was "distressing" and offered his "condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones".

"I pray that the injured recover at the earliest," he said on social media, adding that government compensation of more than $2,400 would be offered to the next of kin of those killed, and $600 to those injured.

- 'Anguished' -

Home Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he was "deeply anguished to learn about the loss of precious lives".

"The local administration is conducting the rescue operation in the gorge where the bus had the accident."

Accidents are common on India's vast network of roads, which are often poorly maintained.

The country accounts for 11 percent of the global road death toll, despite having just one percent of the world's vehicles, according to a World Bank report released in 2021.

The same report estimated 150,000 car crash fatalities in India annually -- or one every four minutes -- causing road crashes that cost the Indian economy around $75 billion each year, the report added.

Medical expenses and loss of income push many accident survivors into poverty.

In May, at least 21 people died when a bus veered off a bridge in India, reportedly after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

In July, 25 people were killed and eight others injured in western India when a bus crashed and caught fire on an expressway.