F.P. Report
CHAKAR: A school van plunged off a mountainous road, injuring at least 29 children and the driver in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
At least 29 schoolchildren and their driver were injured on Tuesday when a van veered off a steep hilly road in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mirza Zahid Hussain stated that the van belonged to a private school, Islamiya Public School in Chakar, and was transporting both boys and girls to their homes when the accident occurred near Tambryal Mor.
According to the SSP, it is believed that the van lost control while taking a turn and veered off the road, resulting in injuries to nearly all passengers on board.
Mirza Zahid Hussain said that 16 injured children were admitted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Chakar, while the driver and 13 children were transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Hattian Bala.
The driver has been identified as Sajjad Shah. Two children are reported to be in critical condition, while the rest are out of danger.
A video clip shared by the SSP shows the overturned van lying on a forested slope, with local residents rushing to assist in rescue efforts.
SSP Mirza Zahid Hussain added that if tall trees had not broken the van’s fall, it could have rolled further down, causing even more serious damage.
