Ganderbal, Nov 11: At least eighteen domestic tourists were injured when a commercial Tempo Traveller vehicle overturned near Sumbal Bala along the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) Road in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Sunday afternoon.
The tourists, representing family groups visiting the Valley from Gujarat and West Bengal, were en route towards the alpine meadow resort of Sonamarg when the vehicle reportedly lost balance on a curved section of the mountain highway and overturned onto the roadside shoulder. Local residents, passing commuters, and police personnel from Gund Police Station mounted immediate rescue efforts, pulling the injured travelers from the damaged vehicle and transporting them to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Gund for emergency triage.
Medical officers at PHC Gund provided preliminary stabilization to all passengers. Due to severe fractures, blunt trauma, and lacerations, eight critically injured tourists were referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura in Srinagar for advanced orthopedic and neurological management. The remaining ten passengers, who sustained minor contusions and bruises, remained under observation at the local health facility.
The patients referred to SKIMS Soura were identified as Sharda Rani (58), Ramesh Ji (52), Shobhna Patel (50), and Rajesh Kumar Patel, all residents of Ahmedabad; Jayesh (42) from Surat, Gujarat; alongside Swapnadyuti Ghosh (24), Mala Ghosh (48), and Surajit Ghosh (61) from West Bengal.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha took personal notice of the accident, speaking directly with the Ganderbal district administration and SKIMS medical leadership to instruct that the injured tourists be provided comprehensive medical treatment free of charge, while directing officials to extend logistical support to their families.
Published by True Roots Media