Seven people died after a jeep went over the edge of a deep ravine on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), according to rescue officials. Everyone aboard the vehicle was killed, and rescuers recovered all the bodies despite the difficulty posed by the gorge’s depth.
The crash took place at Podimar on the Shakar Patiyan-Sairi Dara Road, as the jeep was heading from Shakar Patiyan toward Sairi Dara, the City Police Muzaffarabad said. Rescue teams reached the scene with a medical rescue vehicle. Officials have not yet determined what caused the accident.
Victims of the Podimar ravine crash named
The jeep driver was identified as Abdul Waheed. The passengers who died were named as Muhammad Khalid, Shafaat Hussain, Fayyaz Ahmed, Saad Riaz, Azam Riaz and Iftikhar Ahmed. Among the dead was a father and his two adult sons from the same family, leaving relatives in mourning.
Schoolchildren killed in Neelum River accident
The tragedy followed a day after four children were killed and four other people were injured when a jeep carrying schoolchildren fell into the Neelum River in the Neelum Valley. Rescue officials said the vehicle was travelling from Nagdar toward Athmuqam when it plunged into the river near Nagdar Ghoray Naka. All the children belonged to the same family.
The deceased children were identified as Hasnain, 12, Zareed, Tifo, 10, and Aleen. Two women and two children who were hurt were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Renewed concern over road safety in AJK
The two accidents have raised fresh concerns about road safety in the mountainous region, where steep terrain and deep ravines pose serious dangers to motorists. Authorities have yet to establish the causes of either crash.
