Overview
- A minibus heading to the Sukrala Mata hilltop shrine dropped into a gorge in the Simbli area after the driver reportedly lost control, injuring 23 people.
- Police, civil administration teams and local residents carried out rescue operations at the scene and moved the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment.
- Attending doctors said two of the injured are in critical condition while the others are receiving care at the hospital.
- Police have taken cognisance of the incident and launched an investigation that will examine the driver’s actions, the vehicle’s condition and road factors.
- The Sukrala Mata shrine sits on a roughly 3,500-foot hillock near Billawar and regularly draws large numbers of pilgrims, a context that makes travel on steep, narrow roads a recurring safety challenge.