J&K accident: Neighbours and relatives of victims in Punjab console loss of lives

AMRITSAR: A tsunami of sorrow crashed upon the shattered hearts of family members of Ram Sharma as they received the gut-wrenching news of a horrific accident involving their beloved family members.


Till last night, they were all celebrating the joy of the scheduled mundan ceremony of two children to be held in Viashno Devi but the unfortunate incident transformed the joyous into a nightmare of unimaginable proportions.

Grappling with the cruel twist of fate and the weight of inconsolable grief, the family members are awaiting the list of those who tragically lost their lives in the horrific accident.

Confused and nervous Bharat Kumar, a relative of the deceased informed that his father approached him with the devastating news on Tuesday morning. He said his father informed that he received a call from the police revealing the horrible accident and "immense" loss of life.

"Rajiv Bhaiya called from someone else’s phone and informed about the accident", said Bharat adding that all the relatives had prepaid mobile phones which didn’t work in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to media reports, as many as 10 people lost life and several were injured after the bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Jhajjar Kotli area on way to Vaishno Devi.

With heavy heart Bharat recounts the plans and aspirations that led his family on a fateful journey to Vaishno Devi. The much-anticipated mundan ceremony of his uncle Mukesh's beloved children, Tanya and another 9-year-old boy Himanshu, became the centerpiece of their joyous gathering.

He informed that about fifty of their relatives had traveled from Lakhi Sarai district in Bihar to celebrate the occasion and pay obeisance at Vaishno Devi shrine. He further informed that about 75 persons including men, women and children set forth on the spiritual journey on Monday night which also included about 22 persons from Amritsar.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP ) leader and Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Chand Avenue Phase II, Pranav Dhawan was seen standing united with the grieving family of Ram Sharma and assured them of unwavering support and assistance.

"It is our commitment to lend a helping hand and we are actively coordinate with the local administration to fulfill every possible need and alleviate the burden of sorrow", said Dhawan.

The exact list of individuals who tragically lost their lives was not still available till the time of filing of this story .

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, officials from the local administration including Tehsildar arrived to assess the extent of the loss and ascertain the identities of the deceased.