MUZAFFARABAD: Five people died and another three were injured after a passenger coach they were on board fell into a ravine on the outskirts of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital on Friday, police said.

While negotiating a curve near Rahim Kot village, the vehicle which started its journey from Rawalpindi for Mushtimba village suddenly went out of the driver’s control and plunged some 300 feet into a ditch at about 4:30am, DSP Headquarters Faisal Shafique told Dawn after a visit to the accident site.

Rahim Kot is located around 55km south of Muzaffarabad and Mushtimba lies another 9km ahead of it.

According to DSP Shafique, three passengers were killed on the spot while two others died later. Locals carried out the rescue operation using the light from their mobile phones.

The three survivors, hospitalised in Muzaffarabad, were stated to be out of danger.

The deceased were identified as driver Tasawwar Minhas, 55; his helper and second driver Chaudhry Rameez, 32; Seemab Gulzar, 36; Rashid Naseem, 22; and Shamshad Habib, 45, an ex-serviceman.

The survivors were identified as Faheem Akram, 22; Amir Akbar, 40; and Muhammad Sadaqat, 27.

The DSP said initially it was assumed that the driver had dozed off.

However, he added, since the vehicle had stopped a little behind the accident site for alighting of some passengers, a technical fault could not be ruled out.

“Local police are investigating the cause of the accident.”

Survivor Amir Akbar told Dawn in hospital that after some passengers alighted behind the accident site, helper Rameez had replaced driver Minhas in the driving seat.

“I have no idea as to what happened after a short while that made the vehicle veer off the course and plunge into a ravine,” he said.

Taking to Twitter, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas expressed deep sorrow on the loss of valuable lives in the accident and wished speedy recovery to all the injured persons.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of five persons who lost their lives in a tragic road accident near Muzaffarabad today. May Allah rest the departed souls in the highest places in Jannah and grant speedy recovery to the injured persons,” he wrote.

Published in Dawn, january 7th, 2023