In a major accident, at around 1355h a bus carrying 45 Amarnath Yatris (46 including Driver) while moving from Jammu to Pahalgam skidded and toppled into Bichlari Nala at Mile stone 177 near Nachlana in Ramban District.

On receipt of the information, the nearby Army unit under CO 23 Rashtriya Rifles immediately rushed with 17 columns to extricate the passengers from the ill-fated bus which had fallen into a deep gorge.

While 16 yatris lost their lives in this unfortunate accident, the timely action by the Army personnel helped in rescue and evacuation of many seriously injured passengers. The injured were initially evacuated to SDH Banihal and Ramsoo. Subsequently 19 yatris were evacuated by IAF helicopter to Jammu while 11 were moved by road to Srinagar.

Principals Conclave was held on 08 Jun at Pinewoods School Hamirpur close to Line of Control. Issues related to youth engagement, holistic education, sports and cultural programme etc were discussed. Drug menace, poor attendance of teachers in border schools and infrastructure issues were also discussed. Deputy CEO Poonch, SDPO Mendhar & BDO Balakote addressed the conclave. The event witnessed a healthy participation from local schools apart from the presence of sarpanchs from border villages. Towards the end the Army felicitated the Dy CEO and underscored the need for collective responsibility of all stakeholders towards guiding the youth. Local population is very supportive of the coordinated efforts of all administrators  and the lead taken by Army.