Four killed, 17 injured as tractor falls into gorge in Ghanche

GILGIT: At least four labourers were killed and 17 others injured when the tractor-trolley they were travelling in plunged into a gorge in Gulshan Kabeer locality of Ghanche district, Gilgit-Baltistan, on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Ghanche, Captain (R) Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, told HUM News English that the labourers were en route to a road construction site sponsored by the Economic Transformation Initiative Gilgit-Baltistan (ETI-GB) when the accident occurred.

He confirmed that all the injured were out of danger and had been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khaplu.

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Mukhtar said that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident. “Since the driver has died, the investigation is facing delays,” he added.

When asked about potential negligence, given that over 20 people were riding in the tractor-trolley, Mukhtar clarified that while ETI-GB had mobilised the local labourers for the project, it was not a direct government initiative. He added that traveling in tractor-trolleys was a common practice in the area.

ETI-GB is a development program of the Gilgit-Baltistan government, co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).