Hopes diminishing as no body recoveredMinisters visits, inspect, leave, residents say "mere formality"
SHEIKH NASIR
Kishtwar: A pall of gloom descended on the mountaneous town Kishtwar in the wake of tragic road mishap, which claimed at least 22 precious lives. Many households in a few streets lost their relatives.
With crumbling hands and infaltering voices, the relatives of the victims consoled one another. On Friday evening the news of road accident spread like wild fire in the town and its adjoining areas and people rushed to the accident site, about 10 kilometers from the town. On motor cycles four wheelers and every thing they found people were seeing moving in large numbers towards Wadra where the tragedy struck. At District Hospital people in large number including women were waiting for the bodies. While grief stricken people of Kishtwar Township observed complete bandh on Saturday to mourn the death of victims of friday’s road mishap, some heart rending tragedies start coming to light where entire family members and sole bread earners have perished in the tragic accident.
Police, in the meanwhile, Saturday released a list of twenty-two persons, who were believed to be traveling in the ill-fated vehicle, which met with the tragic accident on Friday.
Even as the life came to standstill with no activity taking place any where in the town, the people were seen going from one house to another to mourn the demise of persons killed in yet another mishap in the mountainous district.
Gloom and despair prevailed among the people during whole day, while traffic remained off the roads and markets wore a deserted look. While all the schools remained closed, attendance in the government offices was also very less. Wailing people over the death of their nears and dears presented a common scene across the township
Though actual number of casualties and identification of victims is yet to be ascertained with the administration still unable to retrieve the bodies, it is reported that all members of a Bhalesa family and a brother of six sisters was among those killed in the tragic accident .
Sources said that a family hailing from Galibatoli village of Tehsil Gandoh was killed in the mishap. They said that Mashoom Ahmed hailing from this backward village along with his wife Bibi Begum and a child who were going to Kishtwar for the treatment of their minor son Maqsood Ahmed were also on board the unfateful minibus. Another youth, Mohammad Ayub, lone brother of six sisters, was also feared to have died in the accident. Ayub, the sole bread earner of his family had lost his father in a similar accident ten years back.
The tragic accident took place when ill-fated matador (774-JK06) was on its way from Thatri to Kishtwar when it met with the mishap near Wadra Bridge on Batote-Kishtwar highway (NH1-B) at around 6 PM on Friday. Eyewitnesses said that the vehicle fell into Chenab and disappeared in the fast current of the river, which was already flowing above normal level due recent rains across the region. Three passengers, they said, managed to jump out of the vehicle and were the only survivors, till the last report came in. “The only trace of the mishap at the spot was the blood mark on some of the boulders on the river bank”, they said adding, “There was completely no trace of the vehicle, which is feared to have been washed away by the water current”. Police and locals were also clueless about the exact loss of the life in the mishap, however officials said that around twenty-five persons are feared dead. One of the injured passengers, Kuldeep Kumar son of Sewa Ram, has told the police that the matador was completely loaded with the passengers, when it met with the mishap.
One of the injured was noticed lying unconscious on the road side by a passing vehicle. Sensing road mishap the passenger traveling in the vehicle reportedly went into the gorge and found two more persons in injured condition. Police and locals rushed to the spot as soon as the injured passengers reached District Hospital Kishtwar. A massive search and rescue operation was launched but all in vain. “There is no trace of even the vehicle at the accident spot”, a police officer told, from the spot. He said that only few identity cards were record from the river bank.
Meanwhile, Minister for Roads and Building, GM Saroori and the Advisor to Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul inspected the accident siteon Saturday and later held a meeting with the prominent citizens of the area. They were accompanied by MLA Kishtwar Sajad Ahmad Kichloo. During the meeting, it was suggested to erect crash barriers on all vulnerable sites on the Batote-Kishtwar highway and widening of narrow portions/zigs of the road. It was also urged to cheek overloading in buses, operationalzing the Disaster Management at district level, phasing out of outdated passenger vehicles, widening the main road from Mali-path to Girinagar sector by GREF authorities, induction of additional SRTC buses in district, setting up of Trauma hospital at district headquarter and health care improvement at the DH Kishtwar. However, the local residents took the high profile visit as another ritual by the people in the corridors of power. “This is nothing but a mere formality”, Abdul Rashid, a local resident said adding, “Government has been doing this since years after every road mishap and forgets every promise within few days”.
Police said that not a single body could be retrieved from the mighty Chenab due to strong water current.
Kishtwar: A pall of gloom descended on the mountaneous town Kishtwar in the wake of tragic road mishap, which claimed at least 22 precious lives. Many households in a few streets lost their relatives.
With crumbling hands and infaltering voices, the relatives of the victims consoled one another. On Friday evening the news of road accident spread like wild fire in the town and its adjoining areas and people rushed to the accident site, about 10 kilometers from the town. On motor cycles four wheelers and every thing they found people were seeing moving in large numbers towards Wadra where the tragedy struck. At District Hospital people in large number including women were waiting for the bodies. While grief stricken people of Kishtwar Township observed complete bandh on Saturday to mourn the death of victims of friday’s road mishap, some heart rending tragedies start coming to light where entire family members and sole bread earners have perished in the tragic accident.
Police, in the meanwhile, Saturday released a list of twenty-two persons, who were believed to be traveling in the ill-fated vehicle, which met with the tragic accident on Friday.
Even as the life came to standstill with no activity taking place any where in the town, the people were seen going from one house to another to mourn the demise of persons killed in yet another mishap in the mountainous district.
Gloom and despair prevailed among the people during whole day, while traffic remained off the roads and markets wore a deserted look. While all the schools remained closed, attendance in the government offices was also very less. Wailing people over the death of their nears and dears presented a common scene across the township
Though actual number of casualties and identification of victims is yet to be ascertained with the administration still unable to retrieve the bodies, it is reported that all members of a Bhalesa family and a brother of six sisters was among those killed in the tragic accident .
Sources said that a family hailing from Galibatoli village of Tehsil Gandoh was killed in the mishap. They said that Mashoom Ahmed hailing from this backward village along with his wife Bibi Begum and a child who were going to Kishtwar for the treatment of their minor son Maqsood Ahmed were also on board the unfateful minibus. Another youth, Mohammad Ayub, lone brother of six sisters, was also feared to have died in the accident. Ayub, the sole bread earner of his family had lost his father in a similar accident ten years back.
The tragic accident took place when ill-fated matador (774-JK06) was on its way from Thatri to Kishtwar when it met with the mishap near Wadra Bridge on Batote-Kishtwar highway (NH1-B) at around 6 PM on Friday. Eyewitnesses said that the vehicle fell into Chenab and disappeared in the fast current of the river, which was already flowing above normal level due recent rains across the region. Three passengers, they said, managed to jump out of the vehicle and were the only survivors, till the last report came in. “The only trace of the mishap at the spot was the blood mark on some of the boulders on the river bank”, they said adding, “There was completely no trace of the vehicle, which is feared to have been washed away by the water current”. Police and locals were also clueless about the exact loss of the life in the mishap, however officials said that around twenty-five persons are feared dead. One of the injured passengers, Kuldeep Kumar son of Sewa Ram, has told the police that the matador was completely loaded with the passengers, when it met with the mishap.
One of the injured was noticed lying unconscious on the road side by a passing vehicle. Sensing road mishap the passenger traveling in the vehicle reportedly went into the gorge and found two more persons in injured condition. Police and locals rushed to the spot as soon as the injured passengers reached District Hospital Kishtwar. A massive search and rescue operation was launched but all in vain. “There is no trace of even the vehicle at the accident spot”, a police officer told, from the spot. He said that only few identity cards were record from the river bank.
Meanwhile, Minister for Roads and Building, GM Saroori and the Advisor to Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul inspected the accident siteon Saturday and later held a meeting with the prominent citizens of the area. They were accompanied by MLA Kishtwar Sajad Ahmad Kichloo. During the meeting, it was suggested to erect crash barriers on all vulnerable sites on the Batote-Kishtwar highway and widening of narrow portions/zigs of the road. It was also urged to cheek overloading in buses, operationalzing the Disaster Management at district level, phasing out of outdated passenger vehicles, widening the main road from Mali-path to Girinagar sector by GREF authorities, induction of additional SRTC buses in district, setting up of Trauma hospital at district headquarter and health care improvement at the DH Kishtwar. However, the local residents took the high profile visit as another ritual by the people in the corridors of power. “This is nothing but a mere formality”, Abdul Rashid, a local resident said adding, “Government has been doing this since years after every road mishap and forgets every promise within few days”.
Police said that not a single body could be retrieved from the mighty Chenab due to strong water current.
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