Baramulla, Jan 12: Two young brothers from North Kashmir’s Baramulla district lost their lives after their truck plunged into a deep gorge at Battery Chasma, an accident-prone stretch on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
The accident occurred late Thursday night at around 11:30 PM when the truck (JK04E-9110), reportedly out of the driver’s control, veered off the road and plummeted into a deep gorge. The victims, Yasir Ahmed and Danish Ahmed, hailed from Rafiabad Sopore in the Baramulla district.
Due to the massive depth of the gorge, the bodies of the deceased could not be retrieved during the night. An official from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that, “the depth and terrain made it impossible to conduct rescue operations in the darkness. The operation commenced with the first light of Friday morning.”
The bodies of Yasir and Danish were recovered after several hours of effort. The truck, which had suffered extensive damage, was also located in the gorge.
The Battery Chasma stretch on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is notorious for accidents due to its sharp turns and treacherous terrain.
The Ramban Police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident. “Preliminary findings suggest that the truck may have skidded due to the challenging road conditions,” a police official said. [KNT]
