MUZAFFARABAD: An official of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and eight members of his family were killed after the vehicle he was driving plunged into the Neelum River in the northeastern Neelum Valley overnight Sunday, officials and witnesses said.

Abdul Ghani Mir, extra assistant commissioner in district Hattian Bala, was on his way to Dudniyal in the upper belt of Neelum Valley in his official jeep to attend the funeral of his mother when the family met the tragedy in the dead of night.

The official was accompanied by his spouse Parveen Bibi, sons Nasir and Yasir, daughters Abidah, Sadaf and Nasirah, sister Sabiha and brother-in-law Muzaffar Mir.

Mr Muzaffar was a migrant from India-held Kashmir and lived in Ambore refugee camp near here with his family.

Deputy commissioner of Neelum Abdul Hameed Kiyani told Dawn that the accident was believed to have occurred after 2am, as Mr Ghani’s vehicle crossed Chilyana police post, some 50 kilometres from here, at about 12.45am.

He said rescuers found the registration number plate of the vehicle on the riverbank as well as the bodies of Mr Ghani and his son Nasir but the vehicle and other travellers were swept away by the killer river. “As yet we have not been able to fish out any other body,” Mr Kiyani said.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2016