4 killed as vehicle plunges into gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar​on January 5, 2025 at 6:23 am

At least four people died when a vehicle carrying six passengers plunged into a deep gorge in the Massu-Padder area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said.

The incident occurred late Saturday, and search teams are actively working to locate the two missing individuals, including the vehicle’s driver.

Union Minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh expressed grief over the tragedy.

“Saddened to learn just now that 4 of the passengers travelling in the vehicle have been found dead on the spot. Two other persons, including the driver, are not traced as yet. My sincere condolences to the bereaved families,” he said in a post on X.

Singh added that he had contacted Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Kumar Shavan to expedite rescue efforts. “Rescue teams have been deployed, and I am receiving regular updates,” he said.

Eyewitnesses reported that recovery operations were underway as ambulances arrived at the site. A video from the scene showed rescue workers retrieving bodies from the gorge.

Authorities have yet to confirm details about the vehicle involved in the accident.

Earlier in the month of December, five soldiers were killed and five others sustained injuries after an Army vehicle veered off course and plunged into a gorge in the Balnoi area of Mendhar in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

(With inputs from PTI)