MINGORA/ABBOTTABAD: Five persons were killed and four others injured in separate road accidents in Swat and Abbottabad on Monday.

Four persons died while one was injured after a car they were travelling in plunged into the Swat River on the night between Sunday and Monday.

According to Mingora police, the speeding car went out of the driver’s control and plunged into the river while negotiating a curve on the bypass road. “Five young friends belonging to Nawa Kallay village of Mingora were travelling in the car. They were returning home after picnic.

“One young man identified as Ahsan Iqbal jumped out of the car and sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to hospital while other four drowned in the river,” said an official of Mingora police station.

A Rescue 1122 team reached the spot soon after the incident and started search operation to trace the drowned men. Local divers and boatmen also assisted the rescue team.

“Bodies of the four drowned men were recovered after the daylong search and were handed over to families,” Waqar Ahamd, a 1122 spokesman, told mediapersons.

The deceased were identified as Rafiq Ahmad, Shahzad Ahmad, Usama and Saad Khan.

Meanwhile, a student was killed and three of his colleagues were injured when a speeding vehicle plunged into a ditch in Bara Gali on Abbottabad-Nathiagali road.

Rescue 1122 workers posted at Nathiagali dashed to the spot and retrieved body of the tourist Faisal, who was driving the car and belonged to Kohat.

The dead and the injured persons were students of Cadet College Battrasi. They were shifted to district headquarters hospital, Abbottabad, where condition of the two was stated to be critical.

The injured were identified as Zeshan, Shahid and Zeshan.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2017