GILGIT: In a road incident near the Thor Minar area of Chilas, at least six labourers lost their lives and two were injured when a vehicle plunged into a deep gorge.
According to police, the accident occurred as a group of labourers were traveling in a Mazda truck to their worksite. The driver lost control of the vehicle near the Ghandlo area, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a steep ravine.
Five of the deceased were from the Darel Valley of Diamer District. They died at the scene, while three others sustained severe injuries. The injured were rushed to RHQ Hospital in Chilas, where one more succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to six.
Nazakat Hussain, General Manager of the Diamer-Basha Dam, spoke to HUM News English and confirmed that the labourers were workers on the dam’s construction.
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They were en route to bring rations when the accident occurred, reportedly due to over-speeding. Hussain, who visited the accident site, noted that there were brake marks at 10 to 15 points along the road, indicating that the vehicle was moving at high speed and became uncontrollable.
All eight individuals on board were labourers. The driver, identified as Sajid Khan, hails from Karora, while the two injured survivors are from Thor and Darel, respectively.
The Bodies and the injured have been recovered from the gorge and shifted to the regional headquarters hospital Chilas. GB Scouts, police, tourist police, and local volunteers took part in the rescue operations.