MIRPUR (AJK) - Twelve passengers were killed and 19 others injured in two road mishaps near Muzaffarabad on late Wednesday.
Giving details of the accident, Transport Authority Azad Jammu & Kashmir Secretary Adil Mahmood Khan said that a jeep (NBQ-150) with about 24 passengers on board on way from Devliyan to Muzaffarabad skidded into deep ravine near Jheeng village after going out of control of the driver due to being heavily overloaded. As a result, 10 people died on the spot and 14 others injured with seven of them seriously wounded.
Khan said that the other accident took place at Chalpani village on Neelam Valley Road when a coaster coming from Athmuqam to Muzaffarabad rammed into the roadside hill due to failure of the break. The mishap resulted in deaths of two besides five others were injured. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
AJK Minister for Transport Tahir Khokher has ordered a probe into the two simultaneous road mishaps in a single day directing an immediate action against the officials including the motor vehicle examiner for issuing fitness certificate to the self-altered jeep which plunged into a deep ravine.
The AJK Transport Authority Secretary said that State Transport Minister Tahir Khokher ordered, after visiting both the sites of the accidents along with Chairman AJK Transport Authority/Secretary to the Government Ch. Innayatullah, an immediate action against the motor vehicle examiner concerned.
He said that the minister had also ordered an action against the SHOs of the concerned police station of the area and Chalpani where the jeep and the Coaster met the accident.