Seven persons including two from Jharkhand were killed and three others critically injured after a vehicle ferrying workers of a power project rolled down a hill in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and leaders from almost all political parties expressed their grief over the accident which occurred near Dangduru power project site in remote Dacchan area around 8.35 am.
Since the accident, the officials said, hundreds of workers have been staging a protest at the work site demanding the company to compensate the families of the victims and pay for the treatment of the injured.
Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Devansh Yadav said the accident took place amid heavy rains in the area.
“Seven persons are confirmed dead and three others critically injured in the accident,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Khalil Ahmad Poswal said.
He said the injured were rushed to a hospital by the rescuers who were helped in the operation by locals.
According to the officials, the driver of the vehicle lost control while negotiating a blind curve and drove down the hill. The vehicle turned into an iron mangle after falling down several hundred feet before coming to halt, they said, adding six persons were found dead on-the-spot, while one more succumbed while on way to hospital.
Victims were identified as Itwa Singh and Rahul Kumar of Jharkhand, Sudesh Singh of Kastigarh, Akhter Hussain of Dangduru, Abdul Rashid of Banjwar, Mubashir Ahmad of Doda, and Karan Kumar of Karur.