SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Saturday's bus accident in Indian-controlled Kashmir has risen to 13, police said Saturday.
"The death toll in today's tragic accident has now risen to 13," a senior police official told Xinhua. "Of the injured eight critical ones have been airlifted to Government Medical College hospital, Jammu," he said.
According to the official, 19 people injured in the accident were admitted to different hospitals.
The accident took place at Plera in Mandi Tehsil of Poonch district, about 210 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-
According to the official, the ill-fated bus was going from village Loran to Poonch district headquarter.
Officials said the victims were local passengers.
"As the news about accident spread, locals as well as police officials and disaster response force personnel came to the spot to carry out rescue work of removing injured and retrieving bodies," Bopinder Singh, a local resident said. "It was really a tough job to carry injured and dead from the deep gorge."
Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was mangled and its ruins scattered in the gorge after it fell from a huge height.
According to police, 32 passengers were inside bus at the time of accident.
Police officials have ordered investigations to ascertain the reason behind the deadly accident.
Officials suspected "negligent driving" as cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, region's Governor Satya Pal Malik has expressed grief over the deadly accident.
"Governor has prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. He has wished speedy recovery to those injured in this accident," a spokesman of Governor's office in a statement said.
Deadly road accidents are common in India, which are often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
Officials said on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents.
