At least two persons were killed and 15 others injured after a passenger bus skidded off a road and plunged into a deep gorge in a remote area of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.

The bus was travelling from Pechound to Ramnagar and the accident occurred at Gulli Gala at around 8 am, officials said. Local villagers launched a rescue operation and shifted 17 injured passengers to the Public Health Centre at Basantgarh.

After first aid, the injured were shifted to Ramnagar hospital, where a woman and a six-year-old girl succumbed to their injuries, officials said. Six more injured were stated to be critical and were referred to Udhampur district hospital.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he spoke to Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ananth Dwivedi and that all necessary assistance was being provided, according to agency reporting. MLA Sunil Bhardwaj visited the hospital and raised concern over the condition of the road.

Sources: PTI reporting (via KIMS Kashmir), agency reports (via JK News Buzz).