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MUZAFFARABAD: A jeep carrying 13 people, including Lahore tourists, met with a tragic accident in the upper belt of Neelum valley when it plunged into the Neelum river, resulting in two fatalities and four injuries.
Police reports gathered by MM News suggest that the accident occurred as the jeep was nearing Phulawai bazaar, only 21 kilometers away from its destination of Kel, after starting its journey from Taobutt, the last village of Neelum valley.
Initial reports stated that seven passengers were missing, and only the driver and his helper managed to escape the accident. The injured have been identified as Hussain s/o Sheeraz, Muhammad Zameer Sheikh s/o Sheikh Safdar, Moin Ahmed s/o Javed Iqbal, Ibrahim s/o Abdul Hameed, and Rafiq s/o Nadeem.
The missing passengers have also been identified as Umar s/o Safdar Sheikh, Shahnawaz s/o Sheikh Maqsood, Azhar s/o Ashraf, Bilal s/o Muhammad Maqbool, Ghulam Meeran s/o Javed Iqbal, Zeeshan, Waleed s/o Rafiq, and Rahim.
Rescuers managed to recover one body and five injured survivors, including the helper, from the riverbank, and they were rushed to a hospital in Kel. However, the condition of the helper and one of the tourists was critical, according to Akhtar Ayub, the district disaster management officer in Neelum.
A team of two divers equipped with life jackets and other equipment has been sent to the accident site to salvage survivors and bodies from the partially visible wreckage of the jeep. However, Ayub expressed concern that the strong currents of the river could sweep them away by morning.
