36 Amarnath pilgrims injured after multiple buses collide in J&K's Ramban

36 Amarnath pilgrims injured after multiple buses collide in J&K's Ramban

At least 36 Amarnath pilgrims sustained minor injuries when five buses collided in Ramban district on Saturday, reported PTI.

The buses were part of a convoy travelling from Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu to the Pahalgam base camp in southern Kashmir. The accident occurred near Chanderkoot, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, around 8 a.m.

Officials reported that the collision resulted from the brake failure of one of the buses. "The last vehicle in the Pahalgam convoy lost control and collided with stationary vehicles at the Chanderkot Langer site. This caused damage to four vehicles and resulted in minor injuries to 36 pilgrims," explained Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan.

Government officials who were already present at the site quickly transported the injured to the Ramban district hospital. Several senior police officers visited the hospital to ensure the injured received proper treatment and instructed the chief medical officer to provide the best care possible.

"The pilgrims were later transferred to other vehicles for their onward journey," the deputy commissioner noted.

Ramban Medical Superintendent Sudarshan Singh Katoch reported that the pilgrims were discharged shortly after receiving first aid. Following the incident, the convoy continued on its way after the damaged buses were replaced.

The fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims, which included 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis, and one transgender person, departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two separate convoys between 3:30 a.m. and 4:05 a.m.

Out of these, 4,226 pilgrims left in 161 vehicles for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, while 2,753 pilgrims took the shorter but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in 151 vehicles.

(With PTI Inputs)