It was a tragic end for seven jawans of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as the bus they were travelling fell into the gorge in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning.
The dead soldiers have been identified as head constable Dula Singh (from Taran Taran in Punjab), constable Abhiraj (Lakhisarai, Bihar), constable Amit Kumar (Etah, UP), constable D Raj Shekhar (Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh), constable Subhash Chandra Bairwal (Sikar, Rajasthan), constable Dinesh Bohra (Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand) and constable Sandeep Kumar ( Jammu in J&K).
At least 30 others were injured, nine of them are still in critical condition, and being treated at the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar, the ITBP officials said.
The platoon of ITBP commandoes was returning along with two of the personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Police after finishing their night duty at Amarnath Shrine. As they reached Chandwadi, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell into the 60 meters deep gorge.
The rescue teams reached the spot and airlifted the injured personnel. All were first taken to Pahalgam hospital and later shifted to Srinagar.
ITBP Director, Dr Sujoy Lal Thaosen, said, “I’m deeply saddened by the tragic accident in J&K where 7 ITBP personnel lost their lives. My heartfelt condolences to the family of the bereaved. I stand with them in this hour of grief. We are taking care of the injured and wish for their speedy recovery.”