A devastating car accident occurred on Thursday in the Matta Banda neighborhood of Lower Kohistan, resulting in the deaths of eight family members, including a man, his wife, and their four children, after their vehicle plummeted into a ravine.
According to a report by The News, the car was en route from Gilgit Baltistan (GB) to Punjab when the driver lost control of the steering wheel while navigating a sharp turn on the Karakoram Highway, causing the vehicle to plunge into the ravine.
Following a frantic hour-long effort, Rescue 1122 personnel, police officers, and local volunteers reached the accident site and transported the deceased to the District Headquarters Hospital in Pattan for the completion of medico-legal procedures.
“We have shifted all eight bodies to a nearby health facility, from where they will be sent to Rawalpindi,” District Police Officer Lower Kohistan Taimur Khan informed reporters.
The DPO noted that the accident took place on a particularly hazardous section of the highway situated adjacent to the Indus River. He commended the professionalism of the rescue teams in their efforts to retrieve the bodies and transport them to the hospital.
The victims were identified as Asif Iqbal from Rawalpindi, his wife Memona Iqbal, their four children, and two relatives, Aisha Siddique and Bushra Waseem.
“We have already advised drivers and motorists to exercise extreme caution while travelling through the mountainous terrain of Kohistan along the Karakoram Highway,” Khan added.
An official from Rescue 1122, Malik Sharif, stated that the rate of fatal accidents along the Karakoram Highway, particularly in the Upper and Lower Kohistan districts, remains significantly high. This is largely attributed to drivers from other parts of the country being unfamiliar with the challenging road conditions in the area.
