Two killed, 9 injured in road accident in J&K's Rajouri

Jammu, June 24 (IANS) Two persons were killed and nine others injured on Tuesday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

Officials said the accident took place near the Chattiyar-Chingus road early morning in the district.

The official said that a vehicle bearing registration number JK02AW-9030 had a collision with another vehicle bearing registration number JK02CG-7011 this morning.

“In this accident, two people were killed while nine others were injured. Army, police, and rescue teams immediately reached the spot for the rescue operation," said the officials here.

The deceased were identified as 26-year-old Insha Fatima, daughter of Akhtar Ali, a resident of Dhanwan Kote, and 50-year-old Farzana Begum, wife of Mohd Iqbal, a resident of Fatehpur.

All nine injured have been shifted to the government medical college (GMC) hospital in Rajouri town for treatment.

"Police have taken cognisance of the incident,” the officials said.

The traffic department has deputed squads of cops to check overloading, speeding, road rage and hilly roads as the main reasons for accidents in hilly Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar and Ramban districts.

Road accidents have resulted in the loss of many lives in previous accidents in the hilly areas of the union territory. Cancellation of driving licences in case of rash and negligent driving, imprisonment for parents in case of minors found driving vehicles, are some of the punishments announced by the authorities to check road accidents.

Of the hilly districts notorious for fatal accidents, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, and Poonch are the worst affected.

Attendants at filling stations across Jammu and Kashmir have been advised not to give petrol to two-wheelers in cases where the rider and the pillion are found without wearing crash helmets. As a reformative measure, in many cases, officials of the traffic department give helmets to two-wheeler drivers after counselling them about the dangers of riding motorcycles and other two-wheelers without wearing helmets.

--IANS

sq/dpb