June 13, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 08, 1429

MUZAFFARABAD, June 12: Seven people, including a woman and a child, were reported to have drowned after the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into Neelum River in the north-eastern Neelum valley Thursday afternoon.

The Athmuqam-bound vehicle was negotiating a blind curve near Salkhala village, some 80 kilometres from the Azad Kashmir capital, when it went out of driver’s control and plunged into the centre of swollen river, police official Saeed Shaikh told Dawn over telephone from Athmuqam.

The vehicle and its passengers, all residents of Neelum valley, were swept away by the violent current and could not be located, he said.

According to the police official, the dangerous curve on the narrow mountainous Neelum Valley road was located 3km before Athmuqam and had caused and witnessed a number of road accidents in the past.

Five of the deceased were identified as Sarfraz Mir, Tariq Yasin, Asif Mir, Umar Hussain (driver), Abdul Latif (retired teacher), Pirzada Qayyum Shah and Sajid Mir.

The police official said a shawl and some toys were found on the riverbank, presumably belonging to the woman and child who were also on board, but their identity could not be ascertained.

Rescue operation was continuing but no body could be retrieved till the filing this report.