Eight die, seven injured in AJK road accident

MUZAFFARABAD: Eight people were killed and seven others injured on Sunday when a speedy passenger wagon skidded off the road and fell into a deep ravine at Peer Gali, about 20 kilometres away from Muzaffarabad.

Islamgarh police station SHO Waseem Nawaz said that eight bodies besides seven injured were recovered from the gorge and rushed to Mirpur Divisional Headquarters Hospital in critical condition.

Investigating Police Officer, Waseem Nawaz said that the ill-fated Hiace Passenger Wagon no LES-5933 was on its way from Rawalpindi to Samani (Bhimbher district) via Mirpur when it met the mishap at about 1.00 pm while negotiating the high-stepped highway in the hilly terrain of this district.

Those killed included women and children. People of the area immediately rushed the scene of the accident to help the local rescue teams and shifted the bodies and injured to the DHQ hospital.

Some of the bodies were identified as driver Muhammad Wasim, Ishtiaq, Kareem, Azan and Rukhsana Bibi.

Deputy Medical Superintendent and Head of Emergency Wing at DHQ Hospital Dr Azeem Ratayal told APP that six of the injured had been admitted to the hospital. Whereas a seriously injured woman namely Rukhsana Bibi was being shifted to the hospital in Islamabad.

Those injured admitted in the hospital were identified as Rukhsana, Mahnoor, Hinna, Usman, Waseem and Mukhtar, the doctor added.