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Three killed as passenger bus hit by rockfall in Upper Kohistan


accident on upper Kohistan

GILGIT: A passenger bus operated by the Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) was struck by a landslide early Monday morning in the Lutar area of Upper Kohistan, resulting in the tragic deaths of three passengers and injuries to one.

According to NATCO’s Public Relations Officer, Ehsan Shah, the bus, bearing registration number GLTA 7303, was traveling from Rawalpindi to Hunza on the Karakoram Highway when a massive rock fell on it, hitting the middle of the vehicle. “The rock neither fell on the front nor the back but directly on the middle of the bus, killing the passengers seated there,” Shah said. The remaining passengers escaped unharmed.

The deceased have been identified as Sultan Mehmood, son of Abdul Hafeez, from Rawalpindi; Mangal Hussain, son of Nazir Jan, from Yasin, Ghizer; and Havaldar Imtiaz Hussain from Gilgit-Baltistan. Both Mangal Hussain and Havaldar Imtiaz Hussain were serving soldiers from Gilgit-Baltistan. The injured passenger, identified as Dilshad Qamar, also hails from Rawalpindi and sustained minor injuries.

Six Diamer-Basha Dam labourers killed in road accident

Rescue efforts were swiftly carried out, and the injured passenger, along with the deceased, were transported to the District Headquarters Hospital in Kohistan. Rescue 1122 Gilgit-Baltistan confirmed that arrangements are being made to transport the bodies of the deceased from Gilgit-Baltistan to their respective villages, in coordination with Rescue 1122 Diamer and Upper Kohistan.

The tragic incident underscores the perilous nature of travel in mountainous regions, where landslides are common, especially during the rainy season. This is not the first accident on the Karakoram Highway.

Last month, at least six laborers working on the Diamer-Basha Dam lost their lives, and two were injured when a vehicle plunged into a deep gorge. Similarly, in May this year, at least 20 people lost their lives while 21 sustained injuries as a bus veered off a narrow mountain road and plunged into the Indus River near Chilas.

20 killed in Chilas bus accident

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