MUZAFFARABAD: As many as 15 people died and another four injured when their jeep plunged into a river in Neelum Valley of Azad Kashmir on Wednesday. According to Rescue 1122 personnel, the Toyota jeep met accident at Develian Lesuva Bypass on Neelum Valley road when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell into River Neelum.
A woman was also injured when she was caught up in the accident while cutting grass along the riverbank, said Rescue 1122 personnel. The operation to rescue the injured and retrieve the bodies was launched as local residents and volunteer rescue teams arrived at the scene.
The monsoon has started in Pakistan. Rain spells with strong winds lashed the AJK on Wednesday including Mirpur, Mangla, and Chaksori. The rain spell turned the weather pleasant lowering the temperature.
According to details, 15 people lost their lives and two others were injured when their passenger jeep plummeted hundreds of feet down the road onto the bank of the Neelum River on Wednesday, allegedly due to a technical fault, officials said.
The Muzaffarabad-bound jeep, modified to carry more passengers than its normal capacity, was transporting 16 people, including the driver. All passengers were from Lawat Bala, a village located some 100 kilometres from Muzaffarabad in the upper belt of Neelum Valley, from where the vehicle started its journey early Wednesday morning.
According to Dawn newspaper, Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad Nadeem Ahmed Janjua, shortly before the village of Devlian, some 35 kilometers from Muzaffarabad, the vehicle veered to the right and fell down the main artery.
The Lesva bypass to Neelum Valley stems from the main Neelum Valley Road in the same area towards the riverside.
After falling from the main road, the vehicle first struck the bypass road and tumbled further down to the riverbank, stopping just short of plunging into the river, he said.
Janjua said that the main road at the accident site was quite wide and could easily accommodate four vehicles passing simultaneously from opposite directions. “Initial assessment suggests that the tie-rod of the passenger jeep broke, causing the driver to lose control,” he said.
Before the vehicle came to a halt near the riverbank and was reduced to a twisted mass of metal, almost all passengers were thrown out onto the rocks, he added. Rescuers found 14 people dead at the scene, and two others — both children — surviving with critical injuries.
Those who died on the spot were identified as Muhammad Ashraf, 50, son of Akbar Jalal; Ghulam Yasin, 60, son of Muhammad Younus; Muhammad Farid Butt, 24, son of Abdul Rauf Butt and his siblings, Salma, 16, and Salim Butt, 12; Resham Jan, 65, widow of Sarwar Khan and her son Majid Khan, 27; Tariq Mir, 25, son of Ghulam Rabbani (driver); Zardana Bibi, 45, wife of Abdul Latif and her daughter Zeenat Bibi, 13; Saima Bibi, 40, wife of Arif Butt; Rafique Butt, 19, son of Farooq Butt, and his siblings Ishrat Bibi, 14, and Tanzeel Butt, 12.
The survivors were identified as Ahsan Farooq, 10, son of Farooq Butt, and Nabeel, 7, son of Abdul Latif. Ulfat Bibi, 45, a resident of the Devlian area, who was cutting grass on the mountainside was also injured after being struck by the tumbling vehicle.
All three of the injured were taken to CMH Muzaffarabad, where Ahsan succumbed to his wounds, an official at the hospital said, adding, that Nabeel was also in critical condition but Ulfat was out of danger.