Gilgit: At least six people were killed when a tourist bus en route to Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway fell into a deep ravine in Thalchi area of Diamar district, rescue officials said on Sunday.
A bus coming from Islamabad traveled on the Karakoram Highway, which lies at a high altitude along the Indus River, injuring 12 people. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Rescue teams including police and rescue 1122 are making efforts to shift the injured and dead to hospital.
Police sources initially reported 12 deaths, citing local people who counted the number of bodies found at the accident site. However, the death toll was later reduced to five, including a child and women.
Meanwhile, police and rescue teams working at the scene shifted the injured to the local 10-bed civil hospital for first aid, later shifted to Gilgit.
Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan, taking notice of the accident, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives and ordered to provide free medical aid to the injured.
In a statement from Gilgit Commissioner Najeeb Alam’s office, it has been said that efforts are being made to contact the families of the deceased for handing over the bodies.
