MUZAFFARABAD: Two women and a man were killed and another nine persons were injured on Thursday when a speeding coaster they were on board rammed into the railing of a bridge in Sudhnoti district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir reportedly after some technical fault.

Station House Officer (SHO) Mang Muhammad Khurshid told Dawn by telephone that the ill-fated coaster had started its journey for Rawalpindi from Khaigala village of Poonch district at the crack of dawn.

However, when it was passing through a bridge on Goin Nullah Road, in the jurisdiction of Mang police station at about 5:50am, the driver lost its control allegedly due to the failure of brakes, he said.

The vehicle hit the railing on the opposite side of the bridge with such a force that its right portion was smashed and detached.

As a result, the SHO said, two passengers who were tossed from their seats fell into a ravine beneath the bridge and died on the spot.

A third passenger lost his life within the vehicle while the rest sustained injuries and were said to be out of danger, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023