RAWALPINDI - The funeral prayer of Pakistan Army soldiers martyred in Chilas road accident was offered at Chaklala Garrison on Monday.
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, senior serving and retired officers, soldiers and relatives of deceased attended the funeral prayer, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.
Guard of honour was also presented to the martyred soldiers, whose bodies were later dispatched to their native areas for burial with military honours.
On the other hand, the last rituals of 16 other victims were also performed in Skardu and Ghanche.
At least 27 people including 10 army soldiers died in a road accident in the Babusar Top area of Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The bus carrying 37 passengers was enroute to Rawalpindi from Skardu when the accident took place.
The security personnel and teams arrived at the spot and launched rescue activities while the injured were immediately admitted to the Chilas hospital. The ISPR said the bodies and injured had been airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Gilgit.
Local administration official Aurangzeb Haider said four women and six children were among the dead, while senior police official Zaibullah Khan said six of the injured were in critical condition.
According to police, the incident took place when the ill-fated bus going from Skardu to Rawalpindi crashed into a hill while taking a sharp turn.
Gilgit-Baltistan is a mountainous region that is home to some of the world s highest peaks. The main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas.
