Truck plunges into Swat river; 16 dead
The truck was en route to the Utror area of Kalam from Punjab when it slipped off the mountainous road.
A view of the truck which fell into the Swat river. PHOTO: ONLINE
SWAT:
Sixteen passengers, including women and children, were killed when a truck plunged into the Swat River in the Pashmal area of Kalam late Monday night.
The truck was en route to the Utror area of Kalam from Punjab when it slipped off the mountainous road. “The truck carrying 28 passengers fell into the Swat River. As a result, 16 people, among them five women and 10 children, were killed,” Kalam police station SHO Shakeel Ahmad told The Express Tribune. The dead belonged to three families.
According to Abdullah, a resident of the area, the dilapidated condition of the road was the reason for the tragic incident. He said the police and residents started the rescue operation and moved the bodies to Kalam and Saidu teaching hospitals.
Abdullah said a majority of the people from Kalam go to Punjab and other areas in the winter and head back during the summer. “The residents have demanded the government construct the road many times and we have also held protests but to no avail,” he added. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mehmood Aslam Wazir declared emergency in the Saidu hospital and also visited the hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
Sixteen passengers, including women and children, were killed when a truck plunged into the Swat River in the Pashmal area of Kalam late Monday night.
The truck was en route to the Utror area of Kalam from Punjab when it slipped off the mountainous road. “The truck carrying 28 passengers fell into the Swat River. As a result, 16 people, among them five women and 10 children, were killed,” Kalam police station SHO Shakeel Ahmad told The Express Tribune. The dead belonged to three families.
According to Abdullah, a resident of the area, the dilapidated condition of the road was the reason for the tragic incident. He said the police and residents started the rescue operation and moved the bodies to Kalam and Saidu teaching hospitals.
Abdullah said a majority of the people from Kalam go to Punjab and other areas in the winter and head back during the summer. “The residents have demanded the government construct the road many times and we have also held protests but to no avail,” he added. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mehmood Aslam Wazir declared emergency in the Saidu hospital and also visited the hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.