In the Neelum Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, a loaded jeep transporting tourists drove into a roaring river channel, killing two of the passengers and leaving three others—including the tour operator—missing.
Eight visitors were saved, some of them had injuries, according to DC Nadeem Ahmed Janjua of Neelum.
The tragedy happened around 1:30 pm, according to a local witness who spoke to Dawn.com. The car was traveling to Ratti Gali, a well-known alpine glacier lake at 3,683 meters, and had barely traveled three kilometers from the main Neelum Valley road.
The connection road to the foot of Ratti Gali Lake is eighteen kilometers long.
The witness informed Dawn.com that the car had problems when navigating a curve at a place called Jabba because a driveshaft failure prevented the vehicle from moving forward.
The witness stated that the driver leaped out of the jeep as it stalled, and that the vehicle then rolled rearward, fell into the water channel, and flipped onto its left side.
One victim was located by locals under the overturned car, and the second was discovered downstream close to Kalas village.
Ahsan Sheikh from Rawalpindi and Muhammad Bachal Attar from Naushahro Feroze in Sindh were the deceased’s names, according to DC Janjua.
The eight visitors who were saved were named as Abdullah Mumtaz Qureshi from Rawalpindi, Mehwal Attar and Saddam Hussain from Naushahro Feroze, Abu Musa’b Siddiqui and his wife Sidra Siddiqui from Karachi, Usman Mughal, Abdul Rehman Butt, and Subhan Qureshi from Wazirabad.
He noted that while some of the injured were in hospitals, they were not in any danger.
Asrar Ahmed Abbasi from Naushahro Feroze, tour guide Dildar from Muzaffarabad, and Imran Sheikh from Wazirabad were the three individuals Janjua listed as missing.
He claimed, “The rescuers haven’t been able to find them yet.”
Neelum Valley has recently had a number of significant auto accidents, most of which were brought on by careless driving or subpar automobiles.
After taking office, Janjua—who was moved to the Neelum district earlier this week—said he immediately launched an offensive against vehicles that were out-of-date or customized.
In order to avoid crowding, he stated, “We removed extended footboards, side railings, and rods from all vehicles.”
“We have also sent or impounded a number of off-road vehicles that are modified or unfit.”
Janjua emphasized that proceedings had already been brought against two of the tour operators who had deceived visitors with false statements.
He claimed that most travelers, including those who are highly qualified, “do not verify the tour operators’ claims with the administration, tourism department, or tourism police, which are accessible around the clock, despite repeated warnings and informative messages.”
He added that the tour operator had leased a loader jeep, which was used to transport gravel and sand, instead of a passenger jeep, after the crackdown on vehicles that were deemed inappropriate or modified.
“The reason the tourists got in this jeep is unexpected. They ought to have objected and sat outside of it. They had the option to file a complaint with the relevant authorities,” he stated.
DC Janjua also mentioned other difficulties the administration encountered during the busiest travel period.
Neelum Valley stretches roughly 165 kilometers from Nauseri to Taobutt. We only have 22 traffic police officers to cover this huge area, despite the fact that there are 40 connection routes between us,” he stated.
To avoid similar occurrences and assist tourists, he encouraged the government to upgrade the motor vehicle examination program, strengthen traffic and tourism police, and enhance the state of link roads.
In order to prevent any issues, he added, “I also urge tourists to properly plan their visits and verify information from the concerned authorities beforehand.”
