July 06, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 20, 1428

MANSEHRA, July 5: Twenty people were killed and three others injured on Thursday when a jeep fell into a 3,000-foot ravine in the Manor Valley in the Balakot tehsil, about 150 kilometres from here.

According to the Balakot police, the jeep, carrying 23 passengers, was on its way to Mahandree from Manor Valley.

The police said the accident occurred when the jeep’s driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn. Eighteen people were killed on the spot while two of the injured succumbed to their injuries at the district headquarters hospital in Mansehra.

Dilpazeer Khan, a man from Mahandree, told this correspondent over telephone that so far 11 dead bodies had been recovered but the rescuers were finding it difficult to recover other bodies.

It is believed that the jeep was swept away by the Manor stream, which is at its peak flow because of the recent rains.

He said the earthquake had damaged roads in the remote and mountainous Manor Valley, and landslides during and after the recent rains had rendered their remaining parts extremely hazardous.

Eleven deceased whose bodies had been recovered were identified as: Abdul Rehman and Azizur Rehman from Kotkay Manor; Sarwar (Sari Manor); Pervez, Mohammad Yaqoob and Pervez (Behari); Mohammad Kalo (Sari Manor); Mumtaz Bibi and her two-year-old daughter (Sari Manor); Adil Khan (Sari Manor); and Mukhtar Ali (Shangla).

Sardar Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Kabeer died in the DHQ hospital in Mansehra.

The jeep’s driver, Mohammad Fayyaz, and two other passengers, who could not be identified, were critically injured. They were taken to the Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

AP adds from Peshawar: Seven people died when another jeep plunged into a ravine as it headed from Abbottabad to the hill resort town of Nathiagali.

According to an official source, police are investigating what caused the two accidents.

Jeeps are commonly used for transporting passengers and goods in the rugged region. The vehicles are often fitted with narrow benches behind a two-seat cab so that more people can cram on board.

Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan and many are blamed on widespread disregard for traffic rules and poorly maintained roads.