Five killed as coach plunges into AJK ravine.

MUZAFFARABAD -- Five people died and another three were injured after a passenger coach they were on board fell into a ravine on the outskirts of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital on Friday, police said.

While negotiating a curve near Rahim Kot village, the vehicle which started its journey from Rawalpindi for Mushtimba village suddenly went out of the driver's control and plunged some 300 feet into a ditch at about 4:30am, DSP Headquarters Faisal Shafique told Dawn after a visit to the accident site.

Rahim Kot is located around 55km south of Muzaffarabad and Mushtimba lies another 9km ahead of it.

According to DSP Shafique, three passengers were killed on the spot while two others died later. Locals carried out the rescue operation using the light from their mobile phones.

The three survivors, hospitalised in Muzaffarabad, were stated to be out of danger.

The deceased were identified as driver Tasawwar Minhas, 55; his helper and second driver Chaudhry Rameez, 32; Seemab Gulzar, 36; Rashid Naseem, 22; and Shamshad Habib, 45, an ex-serviceman.

The survivors were identified as Faheem Akram, 22; Amir Akbar, 40; and Muhammad Sadaqat, 27.

The DSP said initially it was assumed that the driver had dozed off.

However, he added, since the vehicle had stopped a little behind the accident...