Pahalgam, Jun 17 (KNO): Two persons, including a woman, lost their lives in a road accident in the Aru area of Pahalgam in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday after a vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Gudkhoom.

An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the accident occurred on the scenic Aru–Pahalgam route when a driver of an Alto vehicle (bearing no. JK03C-6737) lost control near Gudkhoom and veered off the road, falling into a deep gorge.

The vehicle was being driven by Imran Hussain Ganie (27), son of Ghulam Qadir Ganie, a resident of Pethbugh Dialgam in Anantnag district. He was travelling from Pahalgam towards Aru Valley with a woman passenger when the mishap occurred.

Officials said that upon reaching Gudkhoom, the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to plunge into the gorge. Both occupants sustained critical injuries and succumbed to their injuries on the spot.

Following the accident, rescue teams and local authorities rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC), Pahalgam, where medico-legal formalities were conducted and bodies were handed over to legal heirs.

Police have taken cognizance of the incident and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to the accident—(KNO)