Mishaps: Six killed, eight injured in road accident

12 others wounded in separate incident.

CHITRAL: At least six people were killed and eight others injured when a vehicle plunged into a deep ravine in Barnas, Chitral early Monday morning.

A police official said the vehicle, loaded with passengers, was en route to Chitral city from Kharzag, Yarkhun. At around 2am, when it reached Barnas Bridge, the van collided with a roadside rock and fell into a ravine.

Six people, including three of a family, were killed on the spot while eight others were injured. The official identified the dead as Sher Hakeem, Fardad, Abdul Hussain and brothers Imran, Ihtesham and Shiraz – sons of Nigar Khan.

Another passenger van coming from Yarkhun rescued the injured and informed the police which arrived at the spot and retrieved the bodies.

An injured woman and her three children were taken to district headquarters hospital. According to the official, the woman was visiting Chitral city along with her two sons and a daughter to see her husband who was returning from abroad.

“The accident occurred due to the dilapidated road and the driver’s negligence,” claimed the police official.

Sakhakot

A motorcycle and a pickup van collided with a rock in the mountainous region of Malakand Top, leaving 12 people injured.

At around 10am on Monday, a Mardan bound pickup van rammed into a huge rock while trying to avoid a collision with a motorcycle, said levies official Noor Zada. At the same time, motorcyclist Shamsur Rehman also collided with it.

Zada added passengers from another passing bus rushed to rescue the injured and shifted them to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Dargai. Passengers in critical condition were referred to Lady Reading Hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.