11 Die When Passenger Van Plunges Into Gorge In Pakistan

11 die when passenger van plunges into gorge in Pakistan 2012-04-26 08:14:50 GMT+7 (ICT) MUZAFFARABAD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A passenger van plunged into a gorge in northern Pakistan on early Wednesday morning, killing at least eleven people and injuring several others, local authorities said.The accident happened near the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan's Azad Kashmir region, which is located on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers, when the vehicle plunged down a gorge. The passenger van was carrying at least 21 people.A police official told the Nation that the accident occurred at a sharp turn when the driver of the passenger vehicle lost control, causing the van to nosedive some 300 feet (91.4 meters) down the gorge. At least eleven people were killed while ten others were injured, although some reports put the death toll at twelve.Police believe the accident may be the result of a technical failure, but other details were not immediately released.Road accidents are common in Pakistan with more than 5,500 fatalities in 2007, according to the most recent figures released by national police. Many accidents are the result of poor infrastructure and the disregard of traffic laws.On March 27, fifteen people were killed and 40 others were injured when a speeding passenger bus overturned near Safdarabad in Sheikhupura District of Punjab province, located in eastern Pakistan. The driver of the bus, which was carrying 55 people, had lost control while attempting to make a sharp turn.And in early February, eleven people were killed when a passenger van went off a road and plunged down a ravine in Sher Bangal, which is located in the Upper Dir district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The nine other people on board were injured and taken to a local hospital.

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