- A passenger jeep carrying 17 people plunged into the Neelum River near Muzaffarabad, AJK.
- 15 passengers tragically lost their lives, with two others injured and hospitalized.
- Rescue operations faced difficulties amid rainy conditions, highlighting the challenging mountainous terrain.
A tragic accident near Devlian village in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has claimed the lives of at least 15 people and left two others injured. The incident occurred when a passenger jeep veered off the Leswa Bypass Road, tumbling down onto the bank of the Neelum River.
Rescue teams, including local police and volunteers, rushed to the site despite challenging weather conditions marked by rain. Efforts were hampered by the terrain, but authorities managed to recover the bodies and transport them to the District Headquarters Hospital. The injured passengers were promptly taken to the Muzaffarabad Combined Military Hospital for medical treatment.
Among those injured were a woman cutting grass and two children, all of whom received medical attention at the hospital alongside the jeep’s passengers.
The fatal accident involved 17 passengers, including the driver. Tragically, six men, four women, and three children lost their lives on the spot, with two more succumbing to injuries upon reaching the hospital, according to rescue officials.
Local authorities, including Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Ahmed Janjua, expressed difficulty in pinpointing the cause of the accident. “Apparently, there is no obvious cause for the car accident,” Janjua stated. “The road is perfectly smooth and in good condition.”
The deceased passengers hailed from two families in Lawat Bala village, located in the Neelum Valley. Their bodies have been handed over to their respective families, with funeral prayers planned in their village before their final resting places.
Incidents like this are unfortunately common in the mountainous regions of AJK, often attributed to faulty public transport vehicles and insufficient road safety measures. Authorities continue to investigate to determine the exact circumstances leading to this devastating accident.