2 dead, 30 injured in two separate road accidents in Jammu And Kashmir

Jammu: Two persons were killed and 30 others, mostly students of a nursing college, were injured in two separate road accidents in Kishtwar and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.

Bilal Ahmad (28) and Ishrat Hussain (42), both residents of Changa village, were killed when they were hit by a truck at Drabshalla in Kishtwar district late this afternoon, the officials said.

They said the truck driver abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene.

Police have registered a case and launched a hunt to nab the erring driver, the officials said.

In another incident, at least 30 passengers, mostly students of a nursing college, were injured when a private mini-bus fell into a ditch in Udhampur district, the officials said.

The mini-bus was headed for Udhampur from Salmari when it met with an accident near village Farma around 12.30 pm, they said.

Authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and rushed 30 passengers to Government Medical College Hospital in Udhampur for treatment.

Three of the wounded were declared "serious" and were referred to Jammu for specialised treatment, the officials said.

Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai visited the hospital to take stock of the situation.

"Some 30 to 35 persons were travelling in the mini-bus which, according to preliminary information, fell into a gorge after experiencing brake failure," she told reporters.

She said an inquiry will be initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident.