Four persons were killed and 20 were injured near Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra town when a bus they were travelling in caught fire, the police said.
The bus was travelling from Katra to Jammu city and was carrying pilgrims who had visited the Vaishno Devi shrine, NDTV reported. It caught fire near the Kharmal village, about 1.5 kilometres away from Katra, which is the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
Deputy Commissioner of the Reasi district Babika Rakwal said that the fuel tank of the bus exploded due to overheating, ANI reported.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that the administration will provide ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died. Further, Rs 1 lakh will be given to those who have been seriously injured, he said.
Sinha said on Twitter that he was “extremely pained” by the deaths. “I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said. “Directed district administration to ensure best possible treatment to the injured.”
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