SRINAGAR: An Eecho vehicle carrying yatris met a road accident at Drabshalla and landed in a deep gorge. So far, three persons were reported dead even as efforts are underway to rescue the other pilgrims, reports from Kishtwar said.

Ababeel volunteers rescued a number of pilgrims whose vehicle met a road accident in which three were killed on September 1, 2021. KL Image: Special arrangement

The vehicle was carrying more than a dozen pilgrims on their way to Bimal Nag yatra, a local pilgrimage deep in the mountains of Drabshalla. Ababeel volunteers from Kishtwar and Thathri who are on the rescue job said at least eight yatris are injured, four of them are critical. They said the Eecho car JK17-A1252 has skipped off the road and gone down in a gorge. They are all residents of Dugga village.

Of the four critically injured pilgrims, two have died – Mahinder Sharma and Kunj Lala. Lala is an SPO.

“We are right now busy in the rescue and once we conclude it, we will give the details,” Imran Ahmad, one of the Ababeel leaders said. They have evacuated all to various hospitals in Kishtwar, Thathri and Doda. 

Bimal Nag is a meadow located in high altitude Saroor region of Kishtwar’s Drabshala belt. A lot of glacial met collects in an ideally located pond, near an ancient Hindu temple. Hundreds of local residents go on a pilgrimage to this spot during the summer, mostly in August. 

It was not immediately known whether the pilgrims were on their way to the temple or were returning home. 

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