Daily Times

Nine people, including women and children, died when the ill-fated jeep carrying passengers fell into Indus River near Chilas. The incident took place in the Shalkan Abad area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kolai Palas Kohistan on Sunday.

A vehicle with 21 passengers on-board while coming to Chilas in Gilgit-Baltistan region, skidded off the road and plunged into River Indus. The accident occurred when the driver lost control over the steering due to unfavourable weather and road conditions.

According to Police, Rescue 1122 and local volunteers arrived at the scene and started rescue operation. The rescue workers retrieved seven people of the vehicle alive from the river including children.

Bodies of the deceased and injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Chilas. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to search for the remaining passengers of the vehicle in the river, local police sources said.

The SHO said that some people jumped out of the jeep when it was falling and most of them sustained minor injuries. Seven people have so far been rescued from the river and taken to a hospital in Seer Ghaziabad.

In another accident in the area recently 11 people died while a person was critically injured when a jeep was skidded off the road to river.