13 killed in Malakand road accident

BATKHELA: Thirteen persons, including five woman and three children, were killed and five others sustained injuries when a van plunged into a gorge near the Malakand Top Tuesday, official sources said. It was learnt that the van was on its way to Mardan. The driver lost control over the steering wheel while negotiating a turn.

"The vehicle fell into the ravine and 13 passengers died on the spot while five others sustained injuries," said an eyewitness. The officials and personnel of the Malakand Levies reached the spot soon after the incident and launched rescue work.

They shifted the injured and bodies to the local hospital. The doctors referred some of the injured to a hospital in Peshawar owing to their precarious condition. Some of the dead were identified as wife of Said Muhammad, wife of Faisal, Zahida Bibi, Fatima Bibi, Sher Bano, Nasir Ahmad, Muhammad Gul, Sher Zaman, Daulat Khan, Amir Khan, Jamshed.

The injured included Muhammad Shah, Riaz, Naveed, Talha and Sadiq Shah. Hospital officials said the bodies of the victims were dispatched to respective areas through the ambulances.Sadiq Shah, one of the injured, told reporters that he was on his way to Akora Khattak after attending a wedding party at Barikot.