MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 16: Nine people were killed and eight others, including three soldiers and a woman, were injured in a road accident in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

According to police, a passenger wagon coming from Rawalpindi went out of the driver’s control near Afsar Market, a village located on the border of the Poonch and Sudhnoti districts, and fell into a gorge at about 8.30am.

As a result, seven passengers died on the spot and nine others were injured. Two of the injured succumbed to their injuries on way to the Combined Military Hospital, Rawalakot, whereas the rest were hospitalised, police said.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Saleem, Mohammad Hanif, Raja Abdul Aziz, Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Khalil, Mohammad Akhtar, Mohammad Bashir and Raja Ashfaq of the AJK and Mohammad Amjad of Lahore.

The injured were identified as Tehrim Bibi, Abdul Qayyum, Kafeel Anjum, Mohammad Rafique, Hafiz Mahmood, Hawaldar Ismail and soldiers Abdul Hameed and Mohammad Iqbal.

Witnesses said the accident occurred due to negligence of the driver, identified as Javed, who along with his helper fled from the scene. Police said they had registered a case and were looking for them.

Meanwhile, in another road accident which occurred late on Saturday night, an army soldier identified as Hawaldar Ashraf (resident of Bhimber) was killed and three others — Khalil, Shahid and Pervaiz Mirza (driver) — were injured when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned near the Sunny Kas village of southern Bagh district.