MUZAFFARABAD: Four children were killed and three other people were injured when a van carrying them to a madrasah plunged into a ravine in the upper reaches of Neelum Valley on Saturday, officials said.

Neelum Valley District Disaster Management Officer Akhtar Ayoub said the van was travelling from Nagdar, about 22 kilometres from the district headquarters of Athmuqam, via the Keran bypass link road when it plunged into a ravine.

“The accident occurred around 8:30am near Ghorray Nakkah Morr in Nagdar, barely half a kilometre into the journey, as the driver negotiated a sharp bend,” he said.

The van plunged more than 500 metres off the road into a rocky ravine, killing three children on the spot and initially injuring four other occupants. One of the injured children later died at the District Headquarters Hospital in Athmuqam, Ayoub said.

The injured were later shifted to Muzaffarabad for treatment due to their critical condition, he added.

Expressing grief over the loss of young lives, Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq extended his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious young lives in the tragic accident in Neelum Valley today. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on X.

“Mountain roads demand utmost caution; even a momentary lapse can have tragic consequences. Please drive carefully,” he added.

A similar accident occurred in April when three people were killed, and 10 others were injured when a passenger van plunged into a deep ravine in the Maidan Nambatai area.

On May 11, four people, including two women, were killed and two others injured after a passenger jeep plunged hundreds of feet into a rocky streambed.