MUZAFFARABAD: Six people lost their lives and seven others were injured in two separate road accidents in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday, police said.

In the first accident in Haveli district, a passenger coach traveling from Forward Kahuta to Rawalpindi via Lasdanna plunged into a ravine after skidding off a frost- and snow-covered road at Parthan Wali Ziarat, some 22 kilometers from the district headquarters, at 6:30am.

Police official Ansar Siddique Rathore told Dawn that some passengers had disembarked while others remained on board as the driver attempted to navigate the treacherous section of the road.

A video circulating on social media showed the vehicle sliding in reverse before plunging more than 200 meters below, where it was stopped by a tall tree.

The driver, identified as Zahid Rathore, was seen jumping onto the road just before the vehicle fell and remains at large, the official added.

The accident also highlighted the poor quality of public-sector construction, as the concrete parapet at the edge of the road crumbled instantly upon impact.

The official confirmed that four passengers, including a visually impaired man, died on the spot, while four others were injured.

One of the injured, a woman, succumbed to her wounds on the way to the district headquarters hospital.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Rauf Rathore, son of Khan Muhammad; Malik Sher Baz, son of Suba Khan Awan; Chaudhry Muhammad Khurshid, son of Muhammad Din Gujjar; Khalid Hussain, son of Nek Alam; and Shamim, wife of Qayyum Khan Rathore.

The injured—Arif Ali, son of Chaudhry Sultan; Imran Ayub, son of Muhammad Ayub; and Zeeshan, son of Khalid Gulshan—were reported to be out of danger.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, AJK Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Faisal Mumtaz Rathore and AJK Council member Khawaja Tariq Saeed extended condolences to the bereaved families and assured assistance to the victims.

Speaking to Dawn, Minister Rathore acknowledged that the parapet could have prevented the tragedy had it been built to proper standards.

“However, I won’t comment further because people may accuse me of criticizing the previous [PML-N] government,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Kotli district, another accident occurred when a Rawalpindi-bound van overturned due to alleged speeding near New Mohajir Camp Gulpur at around 10:30 am.

According to Faraz Ahmed, an official at Naar police station, one passenger, identified as Zafar Iqbal, was killed on the spot, while four others sustained minor injuries. The driver, Imran, fled the scene, he said.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2025