RAWALPINDI - Eleven passengers were killed while a dozen got multiple injuries when a Rawalpindi-bound passenger van plunged into a ravine at a Salgran, a picnic spot in Murree, on Sunday.
According to officials of Rescue 1122, a passenger van (LES 1923) coming from Rawalpindi with 25 people on board met an accident at Salgran, a famous tourist spot near Rawalpindi, and plunged into 150-meter deep ravine. As a result, as many as 11 passengers died at the spot while a dozen got multiple injuries, who were later shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad.
"Eleven passengers have been killed while a dozen got multiple injuries in the accident. The injured and dead bodies have been shifted to PIMS," In charge Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi told The Nation.
A spokesperson of PIMS also confirmed that 11 dead bodies were shifted to PIMS while 12 injured were admitted to the emergency ward.
Officials of Murree Police Station said rescue operation was over and initial investigations were on.
"We will investigate thoroughly to sort out what had made the ill-fated van plunge into ravine," Muhammad Sohail, officer on duty at Murree Police Station, said when contacted. He did not rule out the possibility of bad weather causing the accident.
The Murree police did not register FIR of the accident till the filing of this report.
It is worthy of mentioning here that it was the second accident in the current year as on January 8, 2014, a dozen of passengers were killed when two passenger busses had collided with each other and plunged into ravine at the same spot of Salgran.
9 INJURED IN SCHOOL VAN ACCIDENT
Staff Reporter from Karach adds: A van of a private school in district Bannu overturned on Bannu-Kohat road here on Sunday injuring as many as nine persons including nine students and a female teacher.
The injured were immediately taken to the District Headquarters Hospital Karak.
Police sources informed that a van (6919) of a private school Iqra Model School Bannu, with teachers and students aboard, was on picnic tour. When it reached near Bahaderkhel on Bannu-Kohat road it overturned due to over-speed.
Eight students and a female teacher sustained injuries in the accident. The injured have been identified as Heera, daughter of Andaleeb, Ashiquallah, son of Tor Abbas Khan, Zeenatullah, son of Abdul Kareem, Inamullah, son of Sher Qadir, Habib, son of Muhammad Nawaz, Waleed, son of Noor Jehan, Ahmad, son of Dilruba, Gul Raees, son of Misal Khan, and Ataullah, son of Farzanduallah.
The doctors stated the condition of two students was critical and they were referred to hospital in Peshawar for treatment.