Pilgrims leap from out-of-control bus after brake failure

A bus carrying 40 pilgrims headed to Amarnath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir almost plummeted off a mountain after it experienced brake failure while navigating the steep slopes of the Jammu Srinagar National Highway. Panicked passengers leapt from the moving bus in an attempt to save themselves, with many suffering injuries as a result. Yet amazingly, the bus was saved. Army and police personnel literally ran the bus down, coming together to slow its descent enough that they could wedge rocks under the wheels and bring it to a halt. ‘It was a frightening moment,’ said one of the pilgrims. ‘We thought it was the end, but the army and police saved us.’ Ten people were injured, including three women, and a child. Once again, the army stepped up, with medical teams providing first aid. A senior official from the Ministry of Defense in Jammu praised the swift actions (and swift running) of the soldiers and police officers, saying ‘their prompt and courageous efforts prevented a potential catastrophe. The situation could have been much worse without their intervention.’