10 killed as bus careens into ravine in AJK

BOILERS:

At least 10 people were killed and 13 others injured critically when a coaster bus plummeted into a ravine in AJK on Sunday night, reported Express News.

The bus was headed to Gujranwala from Nairiyan, a remote village in the Sudhnoti district near Kotli, where 35 passengers had gone to attend Urs festivities.

As the vehicle arrived near Jarai village, at the border of Kotli and Mirpur at around 1am, it fell into the ravine due to the “negligence of the driver who was unfamiliar with the area”, Kotli SSP Riaz Mughal told the media.

“The skid marks on the road suggest the speeding vehicle spun out of the driver’s control before careening into the ravine,” he said, adding that there were between 28 and 30 people on board the coaster.

The SSP said that the local police station was alerted about the incident, following which police and Rescue 1122 personnel from both Kotli and Mirpur rushed to the scene.

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The SSP said that the driver was believed to have fled the scene, adding that he had been booked under sections 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving) and 337-G (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent driving) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The deceased and the injured were shifted to Mirpur District Headquarters Hospital.

According to Mirpur Commissioner Chaudhry Shaukat, rescue personnel reached the site on receiving information. At least three of the 13 injured were in critical condition, he added.

The commissioner told Express News that the accident was caused due to a brake failure and added that a large number of Jamia students reached the hospital to donate blood to the victims.