Police and locals acted swiftly, rescuing the victims and taking them to Kathua’s Government Medical College Hospital. The exact cause of the crash is under investigation.
BY PC Bureau
August 3, 2025: Two members of the Amarnath Yatra kitchen support team lost their lives and three others sustained injuries after their vehicle veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge along the Lakhanpur-Basohli stretch in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Sunday.
The incident occurred when the group, all hailing from Punjab, was en route to the Chanderkote base camp in Ramban district to assist in food preparation and distribution for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. The vehicle reportedly lost control at a sharp bend and plunged into the gorge amid early morning traffic.
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Locals and police personnel rushed to the scene upon hearing the crash and managed to extricate all five men from the mangled vehicle. The victims were immediately transported to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kathua for emergency treatment.
Two d3ad, three !njured as Amarnath Langar Samiti vehicle falls into ditch near Lakhanpur#JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/mgmMVpzYtI
— Take One (@takeonedigital) August 3, 2025
However, two of them — Pawan Kumar, a resident of Ferozepur City, and Mohinder Pal Bajaj of Ludhiana — were declared dead on arrival.
Police confirmed that all five were part of a voluntary kitchen service team catering to pilgrims along the Yatra route. Preliminary investigations suggest the vehicle may have skidded off due to either brake failure or poor visibility on the hilly stretch, although official confirmation is awaited pending a mechanical inspection.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the accident, and the district administration has promised necessary assistance to the injured and the families of the deceased.
This tragic incident has once again brought attention to the challenges and risks faced by the many volunteers and workers who support the annual pilgrimage, often traveling long distances and navigating treacherous mountain roads in service of the pilgrims.
