MUZAFFARABAD, May 6: At least 14 persons, including a woman and 3 army men, died and 30 others injured when a bus skidded off the road on Monday in Neelum valley, northeast of Muzaffarabad, officials said.

The accident occurred at about 5:30pm near Sandog village, some 68 kilometres northeast from here, when an overcrowded passenger bus of Faran Hill Service negotiating a turn skidded off the road and fell on the rocky bank of river Neelum, Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Dr Mehmoodul Hassan Raja told Dawn.

The vehicle, he said, was going from here to Athmuqam, tehsil headquarters of Neelum valley, which, being along the Line of Control, has seen much devastation over a decade in the Indian shelling.

Twelve people, the DC said, died on the spot and 32 others were injured— including 23 men, four women and five children. The death toll rose to 14 when two more injured breathed their last after some time.

Eight of the injured men were soldiers who were returning to join their units after passing their vacations in the valley, he added. The DC said that since the access to the area was difficult in view of the enemy shelling, further details about the victims were yet to be received.

Some of the dead were identified as Arshad Shah, Mohammad Sajid, Gul Din, Kala Khan, Mohammad Ashraf and his mother.