Taxi-truck collision kills 5 in Indian-controlled Kashmir

At least five people were killed and four others injured on Monday in a head-on collision between a taxi and a mini-truck in Indian- controlled Kashmir, police said.

The accident took place near the town of Sopore, about 52 km northwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"This morning, there was a head-on collision between a vehicle carrying passengers and a goods truck on a main highway in Sopore, " a police official in the area said. "In the tragic accident, five people, including two women, were killed on the spot, while four others were injured critically."

Following the accident, locals rushed to the scene to rescue the injured.

"Five people were found dead on the spot and it was very difficult to pull out their bodies from the mangled vehicle," Lateef Ahmad, an eyewitness, said. "The four injured were immediately taken to hospital in private vehicles."

Police officials said the taxi was on its way to Srinagar from the Kupwara district.

The cause of the accident remained unknown, but preliminary investigations suggested the vehicles were being driven rashly on the road.

Deadly road crashes are common in the mountainous region caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Endi