Nine government officials were today killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The officials of the Animal and Sheep Husbandry department were going to Madwa belt from Kishtwar when their Tata Sumo vehicle fell into the gorge at Sinthan top area today, police said.
Police and Army launched an operation and recovered the bodies from the accident site, police said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to kin of each of the nine officials.
In his condolence message, Omar expressed deep grief over the mishap and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families, an official spokesman said.
State Governor N N Vohra also expressed grief over the loss of life in the accident and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families.
"The governor expressed regret and deep anguish that while over a thousand innocent persons lose their lives in recurring road accidents every year, the concerned authorities have still to implement strict tangible measures to remedy the situation," a spokesman of the Raj Bhavan said.
