At least three dead as passenger van plunges into river near Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: At least three people died and several others went missing after a passenger van fell into a river near the Pattan Garari Bridge in Kohota Tehsil of Rawalpindi, sources said.

According to initial reports, Rescue 1122 teams were dispatched immediately to the site to retrieve passengers who had fallen into the river.

“At least three people have died, while four others recovered from the water are in critical condition,” a Rescue 1122 operation report stated.

Rescue teams were continuing search and recovery efforts at the time of filing this report, as operations remained underway to locate the missing passengers and ensure all survivors are safely evacuated.

Rescue teams are using a crane to pull the vehicle out of the river after a passenger van plunged into deep waters near Azad Pattan.

Reports said that the van, Toyota Hiace, was travelling from Hajira, Azad Kashmir to Rawalpindi and was driven by Idrees. The van had departed from Hajira with a conductor and five passengers on board. Along the way, nine more passengers boarded.

When the vehicle reached near the Azad Pattan Garari Bridge, it went out of the driver’s control, veered off the road and tumbled down into the river.

Eyewitnesses said only a small portion of the van’s roof was visible above the water. Police and Rescue 1122 teams reached the site soon after receiving the alert and launched a rescue operation.

Rescue officials and eyewitnesses confirmed that the driver, three passengers, and the conductor managed to get out of the vehicle. All of them were injured, while the conductor was in critical condition and shifted to a hospital.

Rescue authorities said six ambulances, an emergency response vehicle, a water rescue team, and a total of 20 rescuers were taking part in the search and recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi CPO Khalid Hamdani took notice of the accident and directed Chief Traffic Officer Farhan Aslam and SSP Operations Tariq Mahboob to immediately reach the scene and assist in the rescue and relief operation. Both officers arrived at the site with their teams.