5 security personnel dead, over 2 dozen injured in J&K twin accident

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: At least five security personnel — four from BSF and one from the Army — died and several of their colleagues sustained injuries in separate road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam and Kathua districts Friday.
A bus carrying 36 BSF personnel heading for poll duty skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Brell Waterhail area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district Friday noon, killing at least four troopers and injuring more than two dozen others, officials said.The injured were admitted to Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital. Police registered a case.
J&K DGP R R Swain condoled the Budgam tragedy. “We mourn the loss of these dedicated soldiers who tirelessly served the nation. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and assure all necessary support and assistance by J&K Police,” he said.
IGP (Kashmir Zone) and IG (BSF) Kashmir Frontier visited the injured BSF troopers at the hospital. They were joined by Kashmir divisional commissioner, SSP Srinagar, SSP Budgam and DC Budgam, police said in a statement.
In Kathua district, soldier Ram Kishore died on the spot and five of his colleagues were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge at Shri Sukrala Mata road in Billawer.
“Following the accident, Army Police and locals rushed to the spot and shifted the injured soldiers to Billawar sub-district hospital (SDH), from where they were referred to Pathankot military hospital for advanced treatment,” said an official.
Kishore’s body was shifted to the SDH’s mortuary.