11 killed as passenger van plunges into Yasin River in Ghizer
The Yasin River in Yasin Valley, Ghizer district. (File photo — 7 July 2017)
Eleven people were killed in the Ghizer van tragedy on Thursday evening, when a passenger van plunged into the Yasin River in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer district. Police said the van was travelling from Gilgit to Hundur village in Yasin Valley when the driver lost control near Morkah Bridge and the vehicle went into the river. An infant was among the dead, and two people were injured. All of the victims were residents of Yasin Valley.
A toll that moved through the night
Rescue teams first pulled the bodies of 10 passengers from the water, including two women, and rescued three injured people alive, among them a child. Police later confirmed that the infant among the injured had died, taking the death toll to 11 and leaving two injured. Rescue 1122 received word of the crash at around 8pm, after which teams from Gupis, Gahkuch and Singal rushed to the scene. Darkness made the rescue difficult, and the search continued for anyone else who might have been aboard. The injured were taken to Gupis Civil Hospital.
Chief minister orders probe, care for the injured
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain described the loss of life as “deeply distressing” and directed the district administration, rescue agencies and health department officials to move the injured to nearby hospitals at once and mobilise all available resources for their treatment. He also instructed that there be no negligence in the rescue operation and that the treatment of the injured be closely monitored. Police said an investigation was under way to establish the cause of the accident; no cause has been given so far.
Background: a long record of mountain-road crashes
The crash is the latest in a series of deadly accidents on Gilgit-Baltistan’s mountain roads. Five days earlier, a passenger bus travelling from Hunza to Rawalpindi collided with a trailer near the Havelian Interchange on the Hazara Motorway, killing eight people and injuring 30. In May 2024, a bus running from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan plunged into a ravine in Diamer district, killing more than 20 people.
