4 Dead, 2 Missing as Vehicle Plunges into River in J&K's Kishtwar; Rescue Operation Underway

Jammu: Four people were killed after a vehicle carrying six passengers skidded off the road and plunged into a river in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday.

The vehicle, a Camper, went off the road at Sanyas in the Paddar area and rolled 300 feet down into the Machail River. Police launched a rescue operation and recovered four bodies.

Two individuals, including the driver, remain missing. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed their condolences over the tragic incident.

Abdullah said that his office is in constant touch with the district administration, which is making all possible efforts to trace the two individuals still missing. Udhampur MP and Union minister Jitendra Singh also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

"Saddened to learn just now that 4 of the passengers travelling in the vehicle have been found dead on the spot. Two other persons, including the driver, are not traced as yet. My sincere condolences to the bereaved families," he said in a post on X.

The minister said he contacted Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Rajesh Kumar Shavan immediately after receiving the report about the accident.

"Rescue teams have been put into action. I am regularly receiving the updates," he said. In a condolence message, Lieutenant Governor Sinha said "pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic road accident in Kishtwar. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones". Chief Minister Abdullah also expressed profound grief and sorrow over the tragic death of four individuals in the accident.

Terming the incident as a great loss of precious human lives, he conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

(with agency inputs)