16 die as jeep falls in Neelum River

MUZAFFARABAD: Sixteen people, including women and children, were killed and 3 others injured in a road accident in the Taobat area of Neelum Valley district, some 150 kilometers of here on Sunday, an official said.

A police official in the area told The News on phone that a jeep carrying 19 people from Kail to Taobat plunged into the river from 200 feet height when the driver lost control over the vehicle. Three people on the roof of the jeep jumped down on the sides and got injured when it started slipping down. All the passengers inside drowned in the river. The bodies were retrieved later by local rescuers, the official added.

Bodies of a tourist couple were identified as Javed Akhtar and Saima Shabnam, residents of Multan.