Passenger Van Plunges Into Yasin River in Northern Pakistan, Killing 11 Including an Infant

A passenger van plunged into the Yasin River in Ghizer district, Gilgit-Baltistan, in northern Pakistan on Thursday evening (November 12), killing 11 people and injuring three, the Associated Press reported, citing rescue officials and police. All of the victims were residents of Yasin Valley, and the search and rescue operation continued into early Friday, with all 11 bodies and the injured taken to a nearby hospital. (Photo: the Yasin Valley, file photo — not the accident scene.)

Van was travelling from Gilgit to Yasin Valley when it left the road

Local police official Mohammad Afzal said the van was travelling from Gilgit to Yasin Valley when the driver lost control near a bridge and the vehicle went into the river. Police said the dead included an infant, and the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister expressed condolences to the victims' families. The death toll reported overnight moved from five to ten before being confirmed at 11.

Cause not yet established; mountain road crashes are common in Pakistan

Police said an investigation was under way and no cause for the crash has been established. The Associated Press notes that road accidents are common in Pakistan because of poor road conditions, inadequate enforcement of traffic laws and unsafe driving practices, particularly in mountainous areas.