Reddings 1122 picked up two more bodies on Friday; two passengers are still missing as the search resumes on Saturday morning
A passenger coach fell into river Jhelum 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 Rawalpindi’s Kahuta area has risen to six after two more bodies were recovered on Friday.
Rescue teams continued the search until dusk on the second day after the incident, before suspending operations due to darkness. The search is expected to resume Saturday morning. According to Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Sabghatullah, recovery efforts resumed early Friday after the overnight suspension.
He said the body of the fourth victim, identified as 25-year-old Shaukat Ali, had been pulled from the river late Thursday. When the operation resumed on Friday, rescuers retrieved two more bodies, identified as 32-year-old Umar Zaman and 58-year-old Muhammad Sadiq.
Rescue officials reported that the van’s conductor, Basit, sustained serious injuries along with three other passengers: 29-year-old Sajjad Shah, 52-year-old Zafar Iqbal and 46-year-old Liaquat. The bodies of Fatima (aged 60-70), her son Professor Naeem, passenger Adil and Shaukat were found on Thursday.
Read more: Three dead as passenger coach plunges into river Jhelum
Police have also received unconfirmed reports that the driver, Idris, may have survived and fled the scene with possible sightings in Kashmir.
So far, six deaths have been confirmed – including a woman – while four passengers were rescued with injuries. Two people, 35-year-old Naseem and 15-year-old Liaquat, are still missing.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against the driver of the van, Muhammad Idris, on charges of negligence and reckless driving. The FIR has been 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 stepping up efforts to locate the remaining missing passengers, while police continue their investigation and plan further action once the driver is located.
