25 Kill as Coaster Plunges into Deep Ditch

APP

Rawalpindi: At least 25 passengers have died and several others sustained serious injuries after a coaster fell into a deep ditch in Rawalpindi’s Kahuta Tehsil on Sunday. 

The ill-fated coaster was traveling to Azad Kashmir when it veered off the road and plunged into the ditch.

The accident occurred near Girari Bridge on Kahuta Road, Kallar Syedan, as the coaster was en route to Palandri, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 

Rescue operations are currently underway.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Muhammad Usman confirmed the death toll, stating that 23 bodies have been recovered from the accident site. The bodies and injured have been transported to THQ Hospital, Kalar Syedan, where two more critically injured passengers succumbed to their injuries.

“The deceased include 20 men, 4 women, and 1 child,” Usman said. Rescue teams from Tehsil Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, and Rawalpindi are involved in the operation, with more than 25 rescue personnel and 12 emergency vehicles on site. The condition of one more injured individual remains critical.

The cause of the accident is yet to be determined. During the identification process, 14 deceased individuals have been named: Muhammad Bashir, Ali, Asghar, Gul Azam Khan, Muhammad Riaz, Fareed Ahmed, Kamran Sati, Samiullah, Mohammad Farooq, Manzoor Ahmed, Jawad, Israr, Shafiq, and Muhammad Qaiser. The identities of the four women and one child who also perished have not been confirmed. Further investigation is ongoing.