Treacherous curves: One dead as truck plunges into river

Police official says vehicle veered off the road straight into Neelum River rapids

MUZAFFARABAD: A truck driver was killed and two others injured when their truck fell of the mountain into the freezing waters of Neelum River some 80 kilometres from Muzaffarabad. According to the police the truck was coming from Sharda to Athmuqam and the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp curve near Changa. The vehicle veered off the road straight into the Neelum River rapids, a police official said. The driver died on the spot, while two other persons riding on the truck were rescued in injured condition, he said. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Tufail and the injured as Muhammad Khurshid and Khawaja Abdul Hameed. Meanwhile, parents of a new-born child delivered at the DHQ Hospital Athmuqam accused the medical staff of killing their child due to negligence during the operation. However, the medical staff rejected the allegations saying the child was stillborn.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2014.