7 drown as passenger van plunges into Jhelum River

MUZAFFARABAD: Seven people drowned after a passenger van carrying 21 people plunged into River Jhelum near Muzaffarabad early Tuesday morning.

The van was traveling from Rawalpindi to District Hattian.

Initial reports say the driver lost control of the overloaded vehicle which skidded off the road at a turning and fell into the Jhelum River.

Locals and emergency rescue staff managed to recover 12 people from the wreckage but seven people including the driver are still missing.

Witnesses at the crash site say it is likely that all seven were swept away by the strong current of the river. However, a search operation is underway to find the missing persons.

The Azad Kashmir Prime Minister has ordered an investigation into the incident.