Gilgit, Pakistan—A commercial passenger van carrying fourteen people skidded off a narrow mountain road and plunged into a three-hundred-foot ravine in northern Pakistan early today, killing six passengers. The vehicle was operating on a routine transit route between Rawalpindi and Skardu when it lost traction while negotiating a steep hair-pin turn. Local volunteers and rescue teams spent hours scaling the rocky, vertical terrain to reach the crushed wreckage at the bottom of the gorge.

The impact completely compressed the cabin of the van, trapping several passengers inside the twisted metal frame. Mountaineers from nearby villages utilized basic climbing ropes and stretchers to haul the injured up the sheer cliff face to the main highway. The remote nature of the location meant that the first formal medical vehicles took nearly two hours to arrive from the nearest urban center.

Eight surviving passengers were transported to the regional military hospital, where three individuals remain under critical care for severe spinal trauma and internal injuries. Doctors confirmed that the six deceased individuals, including two women, died instantly due to multiple high-impact injuries sustained during the violent roll down the rocky slope.

A preliminary investigation by traffic authorities indicates that a sudden failure of the vehicle's braking system on the steep descent caused the driver to lose control. The road surface was also damp from overnight alpine mist, reducing tire grip on the unpaved shoulder. The driver survived the initial plunge with minor lacerations and has been taken into custody for questioning regarding the vehicle's maintenance history.

Local transport workers stated that many commercial vans operating along these perilous northern routes are older models that rarely undergo rigorous mechanical inspections. Overloading with passenger luggage and commercial goods on the roof racks is a frequent practice that alters the vehicle's center of gravity, making navigation around sharp mountain bends highly hazardous.

The regional administration issued a notice stating that transport departments will initiate a strict vehicle fitness drive at all entry checkpoints leading to the northern passes. Vans failing to produce valid brake and tire certification will be barred from ascending the mountain highways. Similar safety declarations have been made after past accidents but are rarely enforced over the long term.

Grieving families arrived at the district morgue by late afternoon to identify the bodies and arrange for transit back to their home villages. The local government has announced a small financial assistance package for the relatives of the deceased to cover immediate burial costs.

Search operations at the bottom of the ravine have concluded after teams verified that no additional passengers were ejected from the vehicle during the fall. The mangled remains of the van have been abandoned at the base of the gorge due to the impossibility of hauling the heavy chassis back up the cliff.

High-altitude transit traffic has resumed along the pass, with police personnel stationed at the specific turn to manually direct vehicles to reduce their descent speeds.