Road accident kills 8 in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Eight people were killed and three injured Thursday after a vehicle they were traveling in skidded off the road and rolled down in drain in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.
The accident took place near Nachalana-Sher Bibi in Banihal area of mountainous Ramban district, about 160 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"Today in a tragic road accident in Nachalana-Sher Bibi, eight people were killed and three injured when a SUV vehicle carrying them fell into drain gorge," said a police official posted at police control room Jammu. "The vehicle carrying 11 people was on way to a sulphur spring in Khadi-Mohi Mangat."
According to police, the injured were immediately referred to hospital. The bodies have been retrieved from the spot and kept in hospital mortuary, officials said.
The cause of the deadly accident is being ascertained, the police official said. However, preliminary investigations carried out by police suggest driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating curve on the hilly road.
The SUV vehicle has seating capacity for eight passengers, but for hilly areas only seven passengers are allowed.
The region's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor N N Vohra expressed grief over loss of lives in the accident. The local government announced a monetary relief of 1,650 U.S. dollars for each family that has lost member and 165 U.S. dollars for each injured in the accident.
Deadly road accidents are common in this mountainous region, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.
Last year, at least 992 people were killed and 8,594 were injured in 6,455 road accidents in the region.