LOWER DIR: Three persons were killed when a pick-up van fell into a deep ravine in Balo Rabat Darra area here on Monday, rescue and police officials said.

They said that the van plunged into a deep ravine in the jurisdiction of Khall police station, killing three men on the spot.

A Rescue 1122 team reached the scene and shifted the injured to hospital where doctors confirmed the deaths of 39-year-old Ali, a resident of Ouch; 50-year-old Alam Zeb of Charsadda; and 45-year-old Abdul Qayyum of Gul Maqam, Chakdara.

In another road accident occurred in the Maskini area, a vehicle carrying schoolchildren overturned, leaving 12 students injured.

Rescue personnel shifted the injured to a nearby hospital after giving them first aid on the spot.

The critically injured were later referred to the District Headquarters Hospital, Timergara.

Separately, a man identified as Inamullah — who, according to locals, had reportedly joined the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan a year ago and was later disowned by his father — allegedly stormed his

family home and opened fire after being stopped at the gate in Lal Qila tehsil’s Lagharai village. His two brothers, Wahidullah, 23, and Zakirullah, 30, sustained bullet injuries. The suspect fled after the shooting.

Meanwhile, in Hayaserai Bazaar of Lower Maidan, a fire broke out in a row of shops. Firefighters of Rescue 1122 reached the spot and brought the flames under control, saving adjacent shops from damage.

The police have registered separate cases and launched investigations.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025