Death toll in Jhelum River van accident rises to six

Rescue 1122 retrieve two more bodies on Friday; two passengers still missing as search to resume Saturday morning

The death toll from a passenger van that plunged into the Jhelum River near Garari Bridge on Azad Pattan Road in Rawalpindi’s Kahuta area has risen to six, after two more bodies were recovered on Friday.

Rescue teams continued the search until dusk on the second day after the incident before suspending operations due to darkness. The search is expected to resume on Saturday morning. According to Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Sabghatullah, recovery efforts resumed early Friday following the overnight suspension.

He said the body of the fourth victim, identified as 25-year-old Shaukat Ali, had been pulled from the river late Thursday. With the operation back under way on Friday, rescuers retrieved two additional bodies, identified as 32-year-old Umar Zaman and 58-year-old Muhammad Sadiq.

Rescue officials reported that the van’s conductor, Basit, sustained serious injuries, along with three other passengers: 29-year-old Sajjad Shah, 52-year-old Zafar Iqbal, and 46-year-old Liaquat. The bodies of Fatima (aged 60–70), her son Professor Naeem, passenger Adil, and Shaukat were recovered on Thursday.

Read More: Three dead as passenger van plunges into River Jhelum

Police have also received unverified reports that the driver, Idris, may have survived and fled the scene, with possible sightings in Kashmir.

So far, six fatalities have been confirmed — including one woman — while four passengers were rescued with injuries. Two individuals, 35-year-old Naseem and 15-year-old Liaquat, remain missing.

Meanwhile, police have registered a case against the van’s driver, Muhammad Idris, on charges of negligence and reckless driving. The FIR has been filed under Sections 322, 379, and 337G of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to ASI Waqas Aslam, who was on duty at the time of the accident, the van was speeding when the driver lost control, causing it to plunge into the river. Search and rescue teams are intensifying efforts to locate the remaining missing passengers, while police continue their investigation and plan further action once the driver is found.