Five dead, 20 missing as bridge over stream collapses in Neelum Valley

At least five dead and 20 medical students from Lahore and Faisalabad went missing after the bridge over the stream they were standing on collapsed in Neelum Valley, Kashmir.

The extremely cold water and strong currents of Jagran Nullah in Kundal Shahi area swept away the students. Local administration said the bodies of three students have been pulled out of the stream.

The students of medical colleges from Lahore and Faisalabad were on a vacation trip to Neelum Valley when they made a stopover at the bridge for photography.

The locals said that the bridge could withstand with four persons. They said that signs were displayed that more than four persons cannot use the bridge simultaneously. However, the students might have not seen the warning signs and stood at the bridge. 

”Though we are yet to confirm an exact figure, it is believed that between 20 to 25 persons were standing on the footbridge when it crumbled,” said Mirza Zahid Hussain, the superintendent of police in Neelum Valley.

Eight people were rescued and sent to a local hospital for treatment. Their condition is said to be out of danger, the local administration said.

The rescue teams were searching the bodies in the stream but they were facing difficulty due to strong currents. 

the prime minister of Azad Kashmir ordered the setting up of a control room in Muzaffarabad and directed families of the victims to contact the center at 0582220097.

A Pakistan Army team of SSG soldiers, doctors, paramedical staff, and divers reached the site of the incident on the instructions of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. 

The army's media wing said that the Army personnel shifted four bodies and 11 injured to Muzaffarabad from Shahkot via helicopter. 

The PM has also directed the deputy commissioner to speed up rescue efforts and to ensure that no negligence is tolerated.

In a message, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed sympathy and regret over the incident.