ISLAMABAD, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Four children were killed and three other people injured on Saturday when a van carrying children to a religious school plunged into a ravine in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, officials said.
The incident occurred at around 8:30 a.m. local time near Ghorray Nakkah Morr in Nagdar in Neelum Valley, Akhtar Ayoub, district disaster management officer, said in a statement.
The van was traveling from Nagdar via the Keran bypass link road when it plunged more than 500 meters into a rocky ravine while negotiating a sharp bend, Ayoub said.
Three children died at the scene, while a fourth succumbed to injuries at the district headquarters hospital in Athmuqam.
The injured were shifted to Muzaffarabad for further treatment due to their critical condition, according to Ayoub.
Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, speaker of the regional legislative assembly, expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Farooq urged motorists to exercise caution on mountain roads, warning that even a momentary lapse could lead to tragic consequences. ■
