9 killed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after speeding passenger vehicle falls into ravine

Islamabad, June 12

At least nine people were killed and 18 others injured when a speeding passenger vehicle plunged into a ravine in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Monday, police said.

The accident occurred as the vehicle was travelling from the remote village of Nairiyan in the Sudhnoti district, where the victims had gone to attend celebrations at a shrine, to Gujranwala in Punjab province.

As the vehicle approached Jarai village, at the border of Kotli and Mirpur cities, around 1 am, it fell into a ravine due to the “negligence of the driver who was unfamiliar with the area”, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kotli Riaz Mughal told the Dawn newspaper.

“The skid marks on the road suggest the speeding vehicle spun out of the driver’s control before plunging into the ravine,” SSP Mughal said, adding that there were between 28 and 30 people on board the bus.

The senior police officer said the driver, believed to have fled the scene, has been booked under various Sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The SSP said the deceased and the injured, some of whom were critically wounded, were shifted to the Divisional Headquarters Hospital, Mirpur, according to the report.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan, and most of them are caused due to negligence of drivers.