Udhampur bus tragedy: Survivors recall cries of despair, hail Army’s heroic act

Ramnagar: Survivors of the deadly Udhampur bus tragedy recalled scenes of sheer panic and desperate cries for help, crediting the Army's swift and heroic rescue with saving numerous lives.

At least 21 people were killed and 29 others injured on Monday when a packed private passenger bus plunged nearly 100 metres down a treacherous hillside in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur, crushing an auto-rickshaw before landing horrifically upside down on the road below.

An Army convoy passing along the winding hilly stretch rushed to the spot and led the intense rescue operation after the driver of the private bus lost control while negotiating a sharp blind curve near the hilltop Kagort village in the Ramnagar area around 10 am.

Amid piercing screams, mangled metal and entangled bodies, hope seemed to fade with each passing moment, survivors said, recalling the harrowing accident on the Udhampur-Ramnagar road, about 40 km from the district headquarters.

"Army personnel were the first to reach us, appearing like messiahs amid the chaos and confusion. They pulled us out of the wreckage. I had a miraculous escape — this feels nothing less than a second life for me," said Neetu Rani (32), wife of Sanjay Sharma, speaking to PTI from her hospital bed.

Still shaken, she recalled the terrifying moments after the crash, saying there were cries for help all around as injured passengers lay trapped inside the mangled bus before rescuers arrived swiftly and began evacuating them.

Having sustained injuries to her back, legs and face, she said she was on her way to her maternal home in Udhampur when the accident occurred.

Rani said the journey, meant to be a routine visit to her mother's house, turned into a nightmare within moments as the bus lost control on the treacherous stretch.

"I have lost all my belongings, but life saved is everything. Nothing else matters now — I am just grateful to be alive," she said, her voice trembling, adding that the horrifying moments of the crash would stay with her for a long time.

An Army soldier, who was leading a convoy from Udhampur to Ramnagar, said they swung into action immediately after noticing the civilian vehicle rolling down the hill.

"I was leading the convoy when the accident occurred on the way. The vehicle fell from a height of nearly 100 metres. We immediately secured the area and launched the rescue operation, thus saving many precious lives including those of men and women with great difficulty," the soldier said.

Army personnel were soon joined by local villagers and police teams led by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Uhampur-Reasi Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, who worked in close coordination to break open the mangled remains of the bus and extricate the injured on priority.

The rescuers pulled out survivors trapped in the wreckage before carefully retrieving the bodies of the deceased.

Sahil Thappa's uncle Rajesh said they are thankful to the rescuers including the Army and the police for their prompt action. Thappa (19) was among nearly a dozen students heading for college on board the bus and had suffered head injuries in the accident.

During its violent descent, the bus struck an auto-rickshaw on the road below before crashing with massive force and landing upside down. The impact was so severe that the entire top portion of the bus was crushed, leaving the vehicle mangled and trapping several passengers inside the wreckage.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with injured passengers crying for help amid twisted metal and shattered glass.

A hydraulic crane was later brought in to straighten the overturned bus, allowing rescuers to access those still trapped and to clear the debris from the accident site.

The cause of the accident is yet to be officially determined, though initial reports suggest the driver may have failed to negotiate the sharp turn. An investigation has been initiated.