Azad Pattan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir — A devastating road accident occurred near the Garari Bridge in the Kahuta sector on Friday, when a passenger Toyota HiAce travelling from Hajira to Rawalpindi skidded off the road and plunged into a dam. The vehicle, bearing registration number 7599, was reportedly carrying at least 18 passengers.
Rescue officials confirmed that four passengers were pulled out alive and were immediately shifted to Kahuta Hospital for urgent medical treatment. However, the fate of the others remains uncertain, with authorities expressing fear that up to 12 passengers may have drowned.
Local rescue teams, assisted by volunteers from nearby villages, continued operations late into the evening. The steep terrain and the depth of the reservoir have made the search effort particularly challenging. Additional rescue units were also summoned due to the severity of the incident.
A Region Where Accidents Are Becoming Routine
Residents say accidents of this scale are no longer isolated events in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The mountainous region, already prone to landslides and sharp curves, suffers from poor road infrastructure, lack of safety barriers, and weak enforcement of traffic regulations.
Despite repeated public appeals and media reports, road safety measures remain largely absent on many key inter-district routes. Locals argue that this chronic neglect has turned deadly crashes into a “daily routine.”
Voices of Grief and Anger
A sombre atmosphere prevailed around the accident site as families of the passengers gathered, many searching on their own alongside rescue workers. Community members expressed frustration at the government’s failure to address long-standing safety concerns.
“We lose precious lives every month on these roads,” said one witness. “There are no protective walls, no warning signs, no monitoring — nothing. This tragedy was waiting to happen.”
A Call for Accountability
As rescue teams work to recover the remaining passengers, questions about responsibility and prevention are once again surfacing. Civil society activists and journalists across the region are demanding immediate action, urging authorities to invest in durable road safety infrastructure before more lives are lost.
With the region’s roads linking remote mountain communities to major cities, many argue that ensuring safe travel is not just a developmental requirement — it is a matter of basic human rights.
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