Amarnath Yatra Horror: Pilgrims Leap to Safety as Bus Brakes Fail

The breaks of a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims failed in Jammu and Kashmir, with visuals showing people jumping out of the bus.

The Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police averted a major mishap after a bus carrying pilgrims of the Amarnath Yatra lost control on National Highway 44 in Ramban district on Tuesday. The bus, which was moving from Amarnath to Hoshiarpur, reportedly suffered brakes failure. The pilgrims were from Punjab.

In a video that surfaced on social media platforms, many pilgrims can be seen jumping out of the moving bus. However, a quick response by the security forces prevented the bus from plunging into the gorge. Officials said no deaths were reported in the incident.

The officials said the bus was carrying 40 pilgrims who were returning to Hoshiarpur in Punjab. They added the driver failed to stop the vehicle on reaching Nachlana near Banihal due to the failure of its brakes.

Ten people were injured in the incident, including six men, three women and one child.

Noticing the pilgrims jumping out of the moving vehicle, the Army troops and police personnel acted swiftly and managed to stop the bus from plunging down into the stream by placing stones beneath the tyres of the vehicle, news agency PTI quoted unnamed officials as saying.

The army’s Quick Reaction Teams, along with ambulance, reached the scene and provided medical assistance and first aid to all the injured persons, the officials said.

The jarring visuals from the incident showed people jumping out of the bus, while security forces ran behind the vehicle in an attempt to stop it from falling into the gorge.

In May, as many as 22 people were killed and at least 50 were injured after a bus fell into a gorge in Jammu’s Akhnoor. The bus, which was carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, was overcrowded and had over 80 passengers on board.

Officials said the bus, which was headed to the famous Shiv Khori temple in Raesi district, skidded off the Jammu-Poonch highway and fell into the gorge. Source