At least ten people have been killed after a passenger vehicle en route to Srinagar from Jammu veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Battery Cheshma in Ramban district along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Friday.

Our Correspondent reports that the accident took place shortly after midnight when a vehicle carrying mostly outside labourers plunged into a 1000-foot-deep gorge. Local authorities swiftly arrived at the accident site. However, due to the challenging terrain, darkness, and persistent rainfall in the area, rescue efforts couldn’t be immediately undertaken. Till now, 10 bodies have been recovered from the deep gorge and are being shifted as terrain is tough. The deceased are mostly outside labourers who were heading towards Kashmir for work. The exact number of casualties and the condition of any survivors remains unknown. The rescue operation is going on and more details are awaited.