COAS attends funeral prayers of soldiers martyred in Babusar accident

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, senior serving and retired officers, soldiers and relatives of deceased attended the funeral prayers of Pakistan Army soldiers at Chaklala Garrison on Monday, who were martyred in Chilas road accident, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

It is pertinent to mention here that on Sunday, at least 27 people including 10 army soldiers died in a road accident in northwestern Pakistan. The accident happened in the Babusar Top area, bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Gilgit-Baltistan. The bus carrying 37 passengers was on its way to Rawalpindi from Skardu when the mishap took place.

The security personnel and teams arrived at the spot and launched rescue activities while the injured were immediately admitted to the Chilas hospital. The ISPR said the bodies and injured had been airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Gilgit.

Local administration official Aurangzeb Haider said four women and six children were among the dead, while senior police official Zaibullah Khan said six of the injured were in critical condition. According to police, the incident took place when the ill-fated bus going from Skardu to Rawalpindi crashed into a mountain while making a sharp turn. Gilgit-Baltistan is a mountainous region that is home to some of the world’s highest peaks. The main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas.