STATE TIMES NEWS
Banihal: Four people were killed when their truck plunged into a deep gorge after being hit by a landslide along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway early Tuesday, police said.
Due to the landslide that hit the highway near Sherbibi in Ramban district at around 5 am, vehicular movement was suspended, they said.
A police official said the truck was headed to Srinagar from Jammu.
A rescue operation was immediately launched by local volunteers and police, officials said, adding all four bodies were retrieved from the mangled remains of the truck. Officials identified the deceased as truck driver Mohd Afzal Garoo (42), his brother Altaf Garoo (36) of Kulgam, Irfan Ahmed (33) and his brother Showkat Ahmad (29) of Anantnag.
Around six cattle, which were being transported in the truck for domestic use, also perished in the accident, they said.
The landslide blocked the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, and efforts are on to make it traffic-worthy, officials said.
Meanwhile, G M Saroori EX MLA Inderwal Vice Chairman Democratic Azad Party UT Jammu and Kashmir expressed his anguish over the fatal accident at Jammu Srinagar national highway near Banihal today early morning in which four occupants of truck died on spot due to huge shooting boulders turned in to landslide, the unfold incident is heart wrenching to the families of deceased persons , the under construction road has created many landslide prone stretches which can prove fatal any time, needs of hours to monitor these areas closely to avoid such day today incidents. Words are not enough to condole the death of four people he said, praying to Almighty Allah for rest in peace to deported souls and strength to the families concerned to bear this loss.
