GILGIT, March 3: Four passengers were killed and ten others seriously injured on Friday when a college bus collided with a passenger van in Hayum village in Ghizer district.

Police officials said the collision between the bus of the Ghizer Intermediate College and a passenger van from Phander occurred at 8:45am on Ghizer road. They said the accident was caused by speeding.

Police identified the victims as Mrs Hafas Nigar and her daughter, Muzaffar and Ibrahim.

The injured passengers have been admitted to a local hospital. They are Qasim Shah, Syed Zahid Hussain, Zaman, Hasan Baig (College bus driver), Ajab Khan, Hasan Baig (an employee of local court), Issa Khan (van driver), Hakeem Jan, Mrs Shaheena, Shafqat, Deedar Shah and Hasan.

Police said they were questioning the drivers of the two vehicles.

FISHERIES: The government is spending Rs50m for the development and conservation of trout and other fish species in the Northern Areas.

An official of the fisheries department, Syed Ali Shah, said on Friday that the project had been launched in an effort to enhance the skills of fisheries department employees.

Under this project the government will provide oxygenated water circulation tanks which will help safe transportation of fingerlings from hatchery to the market and farms for safe handling of the fisheries.

The official said that the project would help to improve the organizational set-up of the fisheries department. He said three new posts of assistant directors had been created in Ghizer, Ghagnche and Diamer districts and 35 new posts of skilled and technical staff were also being created to cope with the shortage of skilled people in the department.