GHIZER: A passenger van plunged into the Yasin River in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday evening, killing at least 11 people, police and rescue officials said.
The vehicle was travelling from Gilgit towards Hundur in the upper Yasin Valley when it left the road near Morkah Bridge. Rescue accounts also identified the area as near Noh Bridge. Police said the driver lost control, but investigators had yet to establish why.
Rescuers recovered bodies and pulled injured passengers from the water as local volunteers joined the operation. Darkness hampered their efforts, prompting authorities to call a specialist water rescue team from Gilgit.
Rescue 1122 received information about the crash at around 8:00 pm PST and dispatched teams from Gupis, Gahkuch and Singal.
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An updated police account put the toll at 11 dead and two injured, including an infant among those who died. TNN, citing rescue officials, said a 13-month-old girl initially survived but later died after transfer to Gupis Hospital.
However, a Friday Associated Press report continued to say three were injured, citing police and rescuers. Authorities had not confirmed the total number of passengers aboard.
Rescue officials described searches continuing into early Friday for anyone else who might have been in the van. Injured passengers received treatment at medical facilities in Gupis and Gakuch, according to separate local accounts.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain expressed condolences to the victims’ families. He directed district officials, rescue agencies and health authorities to use available resources to provide medical care and monitor the injured passengers’ treatment.
