8 tourists killed, 9 injured as van falls into ravine in northern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A tourists' van plunged into a ravine in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Friday, killing eight people while injuring at least nine others, rescue and government officials said.

The accident took place near the Babusar Pass area in the Diamer district of the GB region when the tourists' van tumbled off the road after colliding with a car, Shaukat Riaz, district coordinator of the state-run rescue organization Rescue 1122, told Xinhua.

After the unfortunate accident, the van caught fire, burning some of the passengers beyond recognition, he said, adding that women and children were among the victims.

The van was on its way to Gilgit city of the GB region from Sahiwal district of the South Asian country's east Punjab province when the accident happened, the official added.

Following the accident, rescue teams and local volunteers reached the site and retrieved bodies and the injured, and shifted them to a nearby hospital where several injured were in critical condition, police said.