The accident occurred at around 1pm, when the bus travelling from Doda to Jammu skidded off the road and fell into River Chenab at Assar, an area which has witnessed several fatal accidents in the past.

As soon as the bus rolled down into the river, locals swung into action and began efforts to rescue the hapless passengers. An eyewitness said that the passengers were rescued with great difficulty but the accident claimed the lives of 20 people and left 26 wounded. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals and those critical were airlifted to Government Medical College, Jammu. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and several cabinet ministers expressed grief over the loss of life and asked the authorities to provide best medical care to the injured.

The governor also emphasised the need for all required measures being taken on the most immediate basis to ensure against the repeated, frequent accidents in the state, particularly in the Doda region and the most stringent punishments being awarded to all those who deviated from the prescribed norms.