Accident: Two killed, five injured on KKH

Van of the Wapda was headed towards Gilgit from Chilas when it skidded offroad and fell into a deep gorge.

GILGIT: Two people were killed and five others were injured in an accident on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on Tuesday. According to the police, a van of the Water and Power Department (Wapda) was headed towards Gilgit from Chilas when it skidded offroad and fell into a deep gorge. The injured were shifted to a government hospital in Chilas; however, police are not sure if the injured are Wapda officials or civilians. According to a police official, the accident occurred near Goner Farm at around 12am. The official said that Wapda officials are stationed in Chilas, the headquarter of Diamer valley, where the Diamer-Bhasha Dam is under construction. Road accidents are common on KKH, the highest paved international road in the world that connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass. The road is being improved with help from the Chinese government.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2012.