MUZAFFARABAD: At least 17 persons, including seven women, were killed and 10 others were wounded on Tuesday, in yet another tragic road accident in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in about two weeks caused by negligent driving.

The accident occurred near a place known as Chathyal, some six kilometres on the outskirts of Abbaspur town in Poonch district, after an overloaded public transport vehicle fell into a ravine, police said.

The rundown wagon, with maximum seating capacity for 18 persons, had started its journey from Forward Kahuta, headquarters of district Haveli, for Hajira in the neighbouring Poonch district, with around 28 persons on board.

“The overloaded and speeding vehicle fell some 250 yards down the narrow road on a mountain slope, due to negligence of driver,” police official Basharat Shah told Dawn from Abbaspur.

He said 16 persons, including the driver and a couple and their two daughters, died on the spot and 11 others were wounded. Of them one succumbed to his wounds on way to hospital.

The deceased were identified as Khawaja Manzoor, his wife Saleem Akhtar and daughters Sadia Manzoor and Sadaf Manzoor, Shahid Akbar, Mohammad Raees Khan, Mohammad Farooq, Shakil Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed, Shabana, Shaheen Akhtar, Akram, Beenish Kabir, Salma Sarwar, Mohammad Safeer (driver), Abdul Shukoor Bukhari and Mohammad Siddique.

Fourteen of them belonged to district Haveli, two to district Sudhnoti and one to district Poonch, the official said.

Three of the 10 injured persons were said to have received critical wounds.

Road accidents frequently occur in AJK, and are blamed more due to reckless and negligent driving and unfit vehicles rather than the dilapidated roads.

On July 21, 16 people were killed and around 37 others injured in a road accident in the southernmost Bhimber district due to speeding. Prior to that on July 13, at least 12 people were killed and 14 others wounded in Bagh district for the same reason.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2014