Katra: Ten persons were killed and 12 others were injured when a vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Jamsalan in Mahore tehsil of Reasi district on Wednesday morning.

Katra: Ten persons were killed and 12 others were injured when a vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Jamsalan in Mahore tehsil of Reasi district on Wednesday morning.

While seven persons died on the spot, three succumbed to their injuries at a hospital. The vehicle (Tempo Traveller) had left Budhal early in the morning with 31 persons on board. It was on the way to Reasi via Mahore when it fell into Chechi Nullah.

In her preliminary report, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Reasi, Diksha Bamba said the cause of the accident was “negligence” of the driver, Mohinder Singh, who absconded from the spot. The police have launched a hunt to arrest him.

Reasi Deputy CommissionerRavinder Kumar said locals along with the police rushed to the accident site and launched a rescue operation. The 12 injured persons were taken to a hospital at Mahore, from where five were shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.