The accident took place when a passenger bus registration number JK02W0445 heading from Loran to Poonch skid off the road and fell into a deep gorge at Plera. Plera is nearly 30 km away from Poonch.
A police official said that the driver appeared to have lost control of the bus. The badly mangled bus came to a halt at the bottom of the gorge by a river bank. The injured have been shifted to a sub-district hospital in Mandi for treatment.
Rajiv Pandey, SSP Poonch confirmed 13 deaths. District development commissioner of Poonch, Rahul Yadav, said, “We have confirmed 34 injured people who are being treated at different hospitals.
We have arranged air ambulance for those in critical condition; a chopper will arrive soon from Jammu. The government will extend every possible help.”
13 passengers are reported to have died so far and several others were injured The death toll is likely to go up said those who witnessed the relief operations .