MUZAFFARABAD: An Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) commissioner and his son were killed and five other members of his family went missing after a vehicle they were travelling in plunged into River Neelum near here on Monday, the official's relatives said.

Abdul Ghani Mir, extra assistant commissioner of AJK's Hattian Bala district, was on his way to Dudniyal area in the upper belt of Neelum valley with his spouse and five children to attend the funeral of his mother when the accident occurred, killing the father and son.

Five others went missing and rescuers had little hopes of their survival.

“The vehicle fell some 300 feet down the road into the river,” Tariq Maqbool Khawaja, son-in-law of Mir told Dawn via phone.

“We have found only its (vehicle’s) green number plate and the bodies of Mir Sahib and one of his sons from the riverbank, but the rest are missing,” Khawaja said.

The accident was believed to have occurred after 2am, as the vehicle, which was driven by Mir himself, crossed Chilyana police post, some 50 kilometres from here, at about 12.45am, a police official told Dawn.

He said the river had been flowing calmly in the area but it turned murky due to recent rains, making the search for the missing persons difficult.

Mir was due to retire in May this year.