Map of Indian-administered Kashmir locating Kishtwar, where a bus crashed July 1, 2019 leaving 35 people dead. — AFP map
SRINAGAR, July 1 — At least 35 people were killed today when an overcrowded bus plunged into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.
It was the second deadly crash in less than a week in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, renowned for its mountainous terrain and abysmal road safety record.
The bus skidded off a road in the remote Kishtwar region and fell into a deep, narrow valley, senior police official MK Sinha said.
Thirty-five people died in the accident and 17 were injured, local official Angrez Singh Rana said.
Seven of the injured were in critical condition and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, he said.
A separate crash today in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh state killed three school students and their driver, the Press Trust of India reported.
Last week, 11 students on their way to a picnic were killed when their bus fell into a gorge in Shopian district of Kashmir, officials said.
Some 150,000 people die in road accidents on average each year in India, according to official figures. — AFP