Friday, emergency services 1122 recovered two other bodies; two passengers still missing, searches resume Saturday morning
A passenger van fell into the Jhelum river near Garari bridge in Kahuta tehsil of Rawalpindi on December 11. Photo: Express
The death toll from a van that plunged into the Jhelum river near Garari Bridge on Azad Pattan Road in Kahuta area of Rawalpindi has risen to six, after two more bodies were recovered on Friday.
Rescue teams continued searching until dusk on the second day after the incident before suspending their operations due to darkness. The search is expected to resume Saturday morning. According to Rescue 1122 district emergency manager Sabghatullah, recovery efforts resumed early Friday after the overnight suspension.
He said the body of the fourth victim, identified as Shaukat Ali, 25, was pulled from the river Thursday evening. As the operation resumed on Friday, rescuers recovered two more bodies, identified as Umar Zaman, 32, and Muhammad Sadiq, 58.
Emergency services reported that the driver of the van, Basit, was seriously injured, as were three other passengers: Sajjad Shah, 29, Zafar Iqbal, 52, and Liaquat, 46. The bodies of Fatima (aged 60-70), her son Professor Naeem, passenger Adil and Shaukat were found on Thursday.
Learn more: Three killed as van plunges into Jhelum river
Police also received unverified reports that the driver, Idris, may have survived and fled the scene, with sightings possible in Kashmir.
So far, six deaths have been confirmed, including one woman, while four injured passengers have been rescued. Two people, Naseem, 35, and Liaquat, 15, are still missing.
Meanwhile, police have filed a case against the driver of the van, Muhammad Idris, for negligence and reckless driving. The FIR was lodged under sections 322, 379 and 337G of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to ASI Waqas Aslam, who was on duty at the time of the accident, the van was speeding when the driver lost control, causing it to plunge into the river. Search and rescue teams are intensifying their efforts to find the other missing passengers, while police continue their investigation and plan further action once the driver is found.
