Examiner Bureau |Poonch:
Four people, including a father-son duo, lost their lives in a tragic road accident near Chatta Pani along the Mughal Road, with slippery conditions caused by recent snowfall suspected to have led to the mishap.
The ill-fated vehicle had gone missing on Monday evening while travelling from Poonch towards Kashmir and was located in a deep gorge on Tuesday evening after an extensive search operation.
According to police officials, a cab carrying three members of a family, along with the driver, was en route to Srinagar for the medical examination of one of the passengers. The vehicle reportedly went missing during the afternoon hours on Monday, prompting concern among family members after contact could not be established.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Surankote, Farooq Khan, said that a coordinated search operation was launched early Tuesday involving teams from the police, civil administration, the Indian Army, and local volunteers.
“In the late afternoon, one of the teams spotted the wreckage of the vehicle in a deep gorge. Rescue teams descended into the area and recovered the bodies,” he said.
Officials confirmed that four individuals were travelling in the vehicle at the time of the accident, and all were found dead. Preliminary investigations indicate that there were no additional passengers on board.
The deceased have been identified as cab driver Shoket Hussain, a resident of Hari Surankote; Abdul Majeed, son of Manir Hussain; and a father-son duo, Akbar Hussain, son of Ghulam Haider, and his son Mohammad Bashir — all residents of Mangnar in Poonch district.
Police have registered a case at Surankote Police Station, and further investigations are underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
