JAMMU, April 21 -- At least 21 people died and 57 others were injured, three of them critically, when a private bus carrying 63 passengers veered off a hilly road, hurtled down a steep slope before hitting a passenger auto-rickshaw on a lower road in Udhampur district on Monday morning. "The accident took place around 9.30 am at Kaghote Morh, 13 km from Ramnagar and around 23 km from Udhmapur. The bus was on its way to Udhampur from Ramnagar," additional deputy commissioner Prem Singh Chib told HT. "Apart from 21 deaths, 57 people were injured because two vehicles were involved in the accident. First, the bus hurtled down a sharp curve, around 70 feet below and then it hit a passenger auto-rickshaw, which also turned turtle. Around 15 people were travelling in the auto-rickshaw," he said Chib declined to speculate on the cause of the accident "At this stage it would be premature to say whether a tyre burst or rash driving cause the mishap. We could clearly see the marks of tyres. Apparently, the driver applied brakes but it was probably too little, too late by then." He admitted that while there were no crash barriers at the curve, the road was not bad and the bend was also not too sharp. "It is not a very sharp bend and today the weather was sunny. Had there been rains, the road could have turned slippery." Sachin Gupta, a local, said that had the bus fallen on the auto-rickshaw, the death toll would have been higher. "The auto rickshaw driver saw the bus hurtling down at his vehicle. Though he tried to avoid the impact, the bus hit rear portion of the auto-rickshaw and it turned turtle." Most of the passengers on the bus were daily commuters - workers, students, and office-goers. An Army team passing along the hilly stretch led the rescue operation. An army soldier, who was leading the team on an exercise from Udhampur to Ramnagar, said they swung into action immediately after noticing the civilian vehicle rolling down the hill. "I was leading my team when the accident occurred. The vehicle fell from a height of nearly 100 feet. We immediately secured the area and launched the rescue operation," added the soldier who asked not to be named. The rescue operation proved extremely challenging as the vehicle was reduced to a mangled heap of iron. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident. The PM also announced an ex gratia of Rs.2 lakh for the families of those killed and Rs.50,000 for those injured in the accident. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and those injured. They also directed authorities concerned to provide immediate relief and necessary support to those affected. In a post on X, the LG said, "Tragic road accident in Udhampur is heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to bereaved families. May God grant them strength. Praying for a speedy recovery of the injured." Sinha said he directed the district administration, police, the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and health department to provide every possible assistance to those affected. The chief minister Omar Abdullah extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. In a post on X, chief minister said, "The government stands firmly with the victims and their families in this hour of grief, and that all necessary assistance is being extended." Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also expressed grief over the incident. "Deeply saddened by the tragic Udhampur-Ramnagar bus accident. Condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the swift recovery of those injured," she said in a post on X. Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he spoke to Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Minga Sherpa following the accident, and added that arrangements were being made to airlift the seriously injured victims....