Gund:- 30 Amarnath pilgrims were injured after a Yatra bus carrying nearly 50 devotees skidded off the road at the S-Mode near Hariganiwan in the Gund area of Ganderbal district along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway on Tuesday morning, officials said.
The pilgrims, hailing from Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, were travelling from the Baltal base camp towards Katra after completing the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra when the accident occurred.
According to officials, the bus reportedly lost control while negotiating a sharp curve at the S-Mode stretch, causing it to skid off the road.
Immediately after the accident, teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, SDRF, Civil Administration, CRPF, Army and local volunteers rushed to the spot and launched a swift rescue operation. The injured pilgrims were evacuated from the vehicle and shifted to Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Kangan for immediate medical treatment.
Hospital authorities later referred several pilgrims with comparatively serious injuries to SKIMS Soura for specialised treatment, while the remaining injured were stated to be in stable condition.
Officials said the bus was carrying around 50 pilgrims, of whom nearly 30 sustained injuries in the mishap. No loss of life was reported till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, Gund Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
Preliminary reports suggest that the bus skidded while negotiating the sharp curve at the accident site. However, the exact circumstances leading to the mishap are being investigated.