Five people lost their lives while three others were injured on Sunday when a passenger coach plunged into a ravine after skidding off a frost-covered road in the Haveli district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), police said.
Four male passengers died on the spot and a woman succumbed to her injuries while on the way to the district headquarters hospital, said Ansar Siddique Rathore, a constable operator at the AJK police control room.
According to Rathore, the ill-fated coach had departed from Forward Kahuta, the district headquarters of Haveli, for Rawalpindi via Lasdana.
However, the police constable added, upon reaching Parthan Wali Ziarat — some 22 kilometres from the Forward Kahuta town in Haveli — the vehicle became stuck on the frost- and snow-covered track.
Some passengers disembarked while others remained on board as the driver attempted to manoeuvre through the treacherous section of the road, constable Rathore added.
A video clip shared on social media showed the vehicle positioned precariously with its rear facing the edge of the road. As the driver attempted to move it forward, he lost control and the coach plunged more than 200 metres below.
The driver, Zahid, son of Mehtab Rathore, jumped out of the vehicle onto the road as the coaster was about to plunge downwards and was at large.
The deceased were identified as Abdul Rauf Rathore, son of Khan Muhammad; Malik Sher Baz, son of Suba Khan Awan; Chaudhry Muhammad Khurshid, son of Muhammad Din Gujjar; Khalid Hussain, son of Nek Alam; and Shamim, wife of Qayyum Khan Rathore.
The injured were identified as Arif Ali, son of Chaudhry Sultan; Imran Ayub, son of Muhammad Ayub; and Zeeshan, son of Khalid Gulshan.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, AJK Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
Rathore, who represents Haveli in the AJK Legislative Assembly, prayed for the departed souls and swift recovery of the injured, assuring that all possible assistance would be provided to the affected families.
AJK saw a string of accidents last winter, claiming the lives of at least 14 people in just December.
On Dec 15, 2024, a toddler was among four killed while seven others sustained injuries when a jeep skidded off a frost-covered track in the upper belt of Neelum Valley.
Later that month, four members of a family were killed and three others were injured when their vehicle plummeted into a ditch in AJK’s Sudhnoti district.
The next day, four members of a wedding party died while the groom was injured as their car skidded off the road and crashed into the icy Neelum River.
Two days later, a tourist couple from Sialkot lost their lives while their minor daughter sustained critical injuries when their car plunged off a road and landed on the rocky bank of the Neelum River.
