4 children killed as van plunges into ravine in Neelum Valley

In a devastating accident in Neelum Valley, four children lost their lives and three others sustained injuries when a van they were traveling in plunged into a ravine on Saturday. The van, en route to a madrasah from Nagdar, a town approximately 22 kilometers from Athmuqam district headquarters, was on the Keran bypass link road when the tragedy occurred around 8:30am near Ghorray Nakkah Morr.

The driver was maneuvering around a sharp curve when the vehicle fell over 500 meters into the rocky ravine, killing the children instantly and initially injuring four others. One of the injured succumbed to their injuries at the District Headquarters Hospital in Athmuqam, while the remaining victims were rushed to Muzaffarabad for treatment due to their critical condition.

In response to the tragedy, Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq conveyed his deepest condolences to the families affected by the loss of young lives, praying for the injured's speedy recovery. He emphasized the importance of caution while driving on mountain roads, where a single mistake can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

This incident echoes a similar accident that took place in April, in which three individuals died and ten were injured when a passenger van fell into a deep ravine in the Maidan Nambatai area. On May 11, another unfortunate accident claimed the lives of four people, including two women, and injured two others when a jeep plunged hundreds of feet into a rocky streambed.