Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed his condolences over the tragic bus accident in Samba, which claimed one life and left several others injured. The bus was carrying pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi.
A message posted on the official Jammu and Kashmir CMO X (formerly Twitter) handle read, “The Chief Minister has expressed grief over the tragic bus accident in Samba carrying Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims, which has claimed one life and left many injured. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and assured all possible assistance.”
Earlier, CM Omar Abdullah commented on the ongoing rescue operations in the cloudburst-hit Kishtwar region, noting that finding survivors seemed unlikely. He clarified that the disaster was caused by a cloudburst, not a glacial lake breach.
“Finding the missing persons alive now looks nearly impossible. Under these circumstances, we will try to retrieve as many bodies as possible and hand them over to their families. According to current information, the disaster in Kishtwar was caused by a cloudburst and not a glacial lake breach,” Abdullah told reporters.
The Chief Minister added that the government plans to appoint a team of experts to assess other potentially vulnerable areas and provide recommendations to prevent future incidents.
“We now need to appoint experts to identify areas at risk. A few months ago, a similar situation occurred in Ramban, where financial losses were higher but casualties were fewer. This time, the loss of life has been significant. To reduce the impact of such events in the future, the government will seek expert reports and take preventive measures,” Abdullah said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo confirmed that the cloudburst and flash floods in Kishtwar have claimed 61 lives, while 116 people have been rescued so far.
