Pakistan: At Least 14 Including 6 Children Dead, 2 Injured As Jeep Plunges Into Ravine In PoK

The vehicle was crossing the Laiswa Bari Pass road in Neelum Valley district's Doliyan area when it veered off the road and tumbled down the ravine.

PoK: In a tragic road accident in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, at least 14 people, including six children died and two others sustained injuries after a passenger vehicle plunged into a ravine in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday.

The vehicle was crossing the Laiswa Bari Pass road in Neelum Valley district's Doliyan area, news agency PTI reported citing the official ambulance and rescue service Rescue 1122.

The victims, including the injured, were all relatives and were travelling towards Muzaffarabad from the Leepa Valley, when the vehicle plummeted down the road onto Neelum river's bank. 

After the fall from the main road, the vehicle struck the bypass road before tumbling further down the riverbank. It was reduced to a twisted metal mass by the time it came to a halt near the river bank. The passengers were thrown out onto the rocks, Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad Nadeem Ahmed Janjua told Pakistani news website Dawn.

Modified Jeep Carried Passengers More Than Its Capacity: Report

The jeep was modified to carry more passengers than its capacity and allegedly veered off due to a technical fault. 

"Initial assessment suggests that the tie-rod of the passenger jeep broke, causing the driver to lose control," Janjua said.

The passengers belonged to Lawa Bala, a village situated around 100 kilometres from Muzzafarad, located in the valley's upper belt, Dawn reported.

According to PTI, the bodies of the deceased, which include six children, the driver, and two women, have been removed from the accident site. "They were being shifted to their native area," officials told PTI, adding that the "exact reason for the accident is being ascertained." 

A resident of the Devlian area, who was cutting grass on the mountainside also got injured after being struck by the vehicle.

"The cause of accidents in suburban areas are the fitness certificates issued to altered vehicles. Who will take action against those responsible for these accidents," former civil servant Muhammad Tariq Shaheen wrote on X and also shared the image of the fitness certificate of the ill-fated vehicle.

Road accidents are common in the mountainous Kashmir region, most of which are caused due to bad roads, reckless driving, and overloaded vehicles.