1st LD Writethru: Death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir vehicular collision rises to 7

At least seven people were killed and two others injured Monday in a head-on collision between a passenger vehicle and a goods carrier 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.

"The death toll in today's tragic accident has risen up to seven and two injured are still under medical observation," a police spokesman said.

"A vehicle carrying passengers from Kupwara town to Srinagar collided with a goods carrier in the morning near Ringi-Tarzoo at Sopore, resulting in the instant death of five people, while of the four injured in the accident, two succumbed to their injuries in the hospital."

An eyewitness, Lateef Ahmad, told Xinhua they had some difficulties in pulling out the bodies and injured from the mangled passenger vehicle after the accident.

The cause of accident was being ascertained, the police spokesman said. However, preliminary investigations carried out by police suggest the vehicles were being driven recklessly on the road.

The region's Governor N N Vohra has expressed grief over the loss of human lives in the accident. Indian-controlled Kashmir is currently under India's direct rule and region's governor is running the affairs.

"The governor, who is seriously concerned about the recurring fatal accidents, has directed that an urgent meeting of the road safety council should be held in which he shall review the implementation status of various measures which were intended to improve road safety," a spokesman to the governor said.

The accident occurred on the day when region's officials started a road safety week across the region to impress upon people to reduce accidents on the road.

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