In a tragic accident in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 15 people died and two others were injured when their passenger jeep fell hundreds of feet down a road to the bank of the Neelum River on Wednesday, reportedly due to a technical malfunction, according to officials.
The jeep, which was on its way to Muzaffarabad and had been modified to carry more passengers than its standard capacity, was carrying 16 people, including the driver.
All passengers were residents of Lawat Bala, a village about 100 kilometers from Muzaffarabad in the upper Neelum Valley, from where the vehicle departed early Wednesday morning.
Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad Nadeem Ahmed Janjua stated that the accident occurred near the village of Devlian, about 35 kilometers from Muzaffarabad, where the vehicle veered off the road and fell.
The Neelum Valley Road in the area runs close to the riverside, and the vehicle first struck the bypass road before tumbling further down to the riverbank, stopping just short of plunging into the river.
Janjua mentioned that the main road at the accident site is wide enough to accommodate four vehicles passing simultaneously from opposite directions.
“Preliminary assessments suggest that a technical fault caused the driver to lose control,” he said.
Almost all the passengers were thrown out onto the rocks before the vehicle, which was reduced to a twisted mass of metal, came to a halt near the riverbank.
Rescuers found 14 people dead at the scene, and two children critically injured.
The survivors were identified as Ahsan Farooq, 10, and Nabeel, 7.
Ulfat Bibi, 45, who was cutting grass on the mountainside, was also injured by the tumbling vehicle.
All three injured were taken to CMH Muzaffarabad, where Ahsan succumbed to his injuries, an official at the hospital said. Nabeel remained in critical condition, while Ulfat was out of danger.
Road accidents are common in the mountainous regions of AJK, often attributed to faulty and worn-out public transport vehicles, many of which have been altered to carry more passengers than their designed capacity. The lack of road safety measures also contributes to these accidents.
Despite civil society’s concerns, authorities continue to issue fitness certificates to these altered vehicles.
Former civil servant Muhammad Tariq Shaheen criticized the issuance of fitness certificates to such vehicles on social media platform X, sharing an image of the fitness certificate of the ill-fated jeep.
PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir expressed condolences and called for an immediate ban on run-down vehicles in the Neelum Valley to prevent future incidents. He emphasized the need for a new public transport policy to ensure safe and affordable transportation in AJK, especially in hilly areas.
PTI regional president Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi also highlighted the increasing ratio of accidents in the Neelum district and urged the government to take effective measures to prevent road accidents.
On June 9, 2024, at least six individuals drowned and another ten, primarily women and children, were missing after a passenger jeep fell into the freezing waters of the Neelum River in the upper regions of Neelum Valley.
ASI Imdad Ali Shah, the police officer responsible for the Janawai village post, stated that the vehicle was transporting 24 individuals.
Among them, the vehicle contained seven tourists belonging to a family from Multan and 11 members of the Gujjar Bakarwal community, while one nomad and five local residents were riding on the roof.