Four tourists from Punjab were injured on Friday as their car skidded off the road and plunged nearly 100 feet into the Haloon river on the Bhaderwah-Pathankot interstate highway in Doda district, police said.
The tourists were travelling in a Kia Sonet vehicle when the accident occurred around 11 kilometres from Bhaderwah town, they said.
“The driver reportedly lost control over the vehicle that veered off the road and fell nearly 100 feet into the river," police said.
They said police were verifying the purpose and route of the tourists’ visit.
Several popular tourist destinations, including Thanthera, Guldanda and Chattergalla, are located along the highway, which also serves as a key road link to Punjab, they said.
According to eyewitness Mohammad Ashraf, a labourer working with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the vehicle suddenly rolled down the hillside and landed in the fast-flowing waters of the Haloon river.
“We didn’t waste a minute and ran towards the river. We immediately rescued all four passengers from the vehicle, which was trapped in the ice-cold gushing water," Ashraf said.
He said BRO personnel were alerted immediately and an ambulance from the nearby Nalthi camp was rushed to the spot. The injured tourists were subsequently shifted to the sub-district hospital (SDH), Bhaderwah.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Bhaderwah, Dr Versha Sharma, said all four injured people are undergoing treatment and responding well.
“As of now, all the injured are out of danger," she said.
The injured, Ashwani Kumar (48), Navneet Sharma (46), Ajay Kumar (47) and Amarjeet Singh (56), are residents of Pathankot, Punjab.
Police have initiated an investigation.
