RAWALPINDI: At least 25 passengers have died, several others received serious injuries when a coaster fell into a ditch in Rawalpindi’s Kahuta Tehsil on Sunday.
The ill-fated coaster was travelling to Azad Kashmir.
Rescue operation has been started.
According to the details, the tragic accident took place near Girari Bridge, Kahuta Road Kallar Syedan where a passenger coaster en route to Palandri, Azad Kashmir went out of control and fell into a deep ditch resulting in massive casualties.
Rescue 1122 spokesman, Muhammad Usman confirmed APP that 25 people have died in the accident so far.
He informed that 23 bodies were recovered from the accident spot.
The bodies and the injured were shifted to THQ Hospital, Kalar Syedan, where 2 more seriously injured could not survive and died.
“The dead include 20 men, 4 women and 1 child”, he said.
He said that rescue personnel from Tehsil Kahota, Kallar Syedan and Rawalpindi were engaged in the rescue operation in which more than 25 rescue personnel and 12 emergency services vehicles are participating.
The spokesperson further informed that the condition of one more injured was still critical.
The reason for the accident is still not known.
During the identification process, 14 deceased persons have been identified as 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 identity of the four deceased women and one minor child could not be ascertained yet.
Further investigation of the deceased was underway.