Four children died and three other people suffered injuries when a van plunged into a ravine in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Neelum Valley on Saturday. The vehicle was carrying children to a madrasah when the accident occurred near Nagdar. Officials said the van fell more than 500 metres into a rocky ravine.
Neelum Valley District Disaster Management Officer Akhtar Ayoub said the van had departed from Nagdar. The settlement lies about 22 kilometres from Athmuqam, the district headquarters. The vehicle was travelling along the Keran bypass link road when it approached a sharp bend.
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Ayoub said the accident occurred around 8:30am near Ghorray Nakkah Morr in Nagdar. The van had travelled only about half a kilometre before the crash. The driver lost control while negotiating the sharp turn, causing the vehicle to plunge off the road.
Three children died at the scene, while rescuers initially found four other occupants injured. One injured child later died at the District Headquarters Hospital in Athmuqam. Authorities subsequently shifted the remaining injured people to Muzaffarabad for treatment because of their critical condition.
Deeply saddened by the loss of precious young lives in the tragic accident in Neelum Valley today. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Mountain roads demand utmost caution; even a momentary lapse can have tragic consequences. Please drive carefully.
— Tariq Farooq (@tariqfarooq60) October 24, 2026
Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the bereaved families. He also prayed for the injured people’s speedy recovery. In a post on X, he urged motorists to exercise extreme caution on mountain roads.
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Farooq warned that even a brief lapse in attention could lead to tragic consequences on difficult mountain routes. His remarks followed another fatal accident in the region earlier this year. In April, a passenger van plunged into a deep ravine in the Maidan Nambatai area, killing three people and injuring 10 others.
Another accident occurred on May 11, when a passenger jeep fell hundreds of feet into a rocky streambed. Four people, including two women, died, while two others sustained injuries. Saturday’s crash adds to a series of deadly road accidents in the mountainous region, where steep terrain and sharp bends demand careful driving.