MUZAFFARABAD: Four students and as many passengers were killed and 32 others were injured in two road accidents in Poonch and Neelum districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday while another 10 persons were wounded in a third road accident in district Muzaffarabad, officials said.

In Poonch district, a van carrying around 20 students, all in their early teens, to their homes in Ban Behak village was hit by a dumper truck after the latter slid into reverse direction on a steep portion of hilly link road between Khaigalla and Toli Pir at about 2pm.

As a result, the van fell some 800 feet into a ravine, leaving 17 students injured. Of them, Safina Qadir, Saifur Rehman, Hafza Jamil and Waqar Arif died on their way or in Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Hospital Rawalakot, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Poonch region Rashid Naeem told Dawn.

In the upper belt of Neelum Valley, a Muzaffarabad bound coaster fell onto the bank of Neelum River near Janawai village and as a result at least four passengers were killed and another 19, including an infant and three tourists from Karachi, were injured, said district disaster management officer Akhtar Ayub.

In Kutla area of district Muzaffarabad, a Suzuki jeep travelling Patikka and Harriyala Cheerran village fell down the hilly link road ahead of Chanjhal village, causing injuries to all 10 persons from the same family.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2021