Passengers Jump Off Moving Bus After Brake Failure: Caught On Camera
A video of a bus carrying pilgrims has been circulating on the internet lately. The bus seen in the video had actually lost its brakes while it was moving on a narrow mountain road. The bus was carrying Amarnath pilgrims on National Highway 44. The Indian Army, along with the Jammu and Kashmir police, acted promptly and averted a major mishap.
The video has been shared by Times Now on their X profile. The same video is available on various other social media platforms. According to reports, the bus was on NH44 in Ramban district in Jammu when this accident happened. In the video, we see passengers jumping off the moving bus. Most of them were actually losing balance and falling to the ground while trying to escape from the bus.
Behind the bus, we can see a couple of security personnel running towards the bus to stop it from falling into the gorge. The bus suffered a brake failure and was carrying Amarnath pilgrims from Punjab. The bus was, in fact, returning from Amarnath when this accident happened.
The bus had 40 pilgrims who were returning to Punjab’s Hoshiarpur. The officers noticed something was wrong with the vehicle when they realized the bus driver was not stopping the vehicle upon reaching Nachlana near Banihal. At least 10 passengers jumped out of the moving bus when they realized that the brakes were not working. We can see people falling and getting injured. Ten passengers were injured while trying to escape from the bus.
The bus was actually rolling down a slope. The Army and local police acted in time and helped the bus driver and passengers. The officers came near the bus and started putting stones in front of the tires. The bus was pushed to the left-hand side of the road, away from the cliff.
After a couple of attempts, they managed to stop the bus, and everyone escaped without any major injuries. The Army’s quick response team and an ambulance reached the spot promptly and offered medical assistance to all the injured passengers. A few months ago, a similar accident was reported from Jammu’s Aknoor, where a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh fell into a gorge.
Twenty-two people lost their lives, and at least 50 were injured. The bus was overloaded and had over 80 passengers. It skidded off the road and fell into a gorge. It is not clear whether the bus in this case was overcrowded or not.
Brakes in Buses
Most buses on Indian roads use air brakes. This system relies on compressed air, generated by a compressor connected to the vehicle’s engine. The compressed air is stored in multiple tanks and is later utilized to apply the brakes.
When a driver uses the brakes too much, the amount of air pressure decreases, and the brakes are not as effective as they should be. In such cases, the brakes lose pressure, and the vehicle cannot be stopped. We are not sure if that is what happened in this case or if there was an issue with the system.