Islamabad, Nov 3 (PTI) At least 23 people were killed and seven others injured on Wednesday after a bus carrying them fell into a ravine in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), police said.

The accident occurred in the Sudhnoti district of the region when a passenger bus was going to Rawalpindi in Punjab province from the Baloch area of the district.

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The bus apparently developed some technical fault and fell more than 500 meters down the road, killing 23 people, including women and children, they said.

"A total of 30 people were on board the passenger bus. Seven people died on the spot, while 16 succumbed to their injuries on the way to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Bodies have also been shifted there," The Express Tribune newspaper quoted a rescue worker as saying.

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Dawn newspaper reported that a roadside vendor nearby saw the accident and informed a prayer leader of the local village mosque over telephone about it.

The prayer leader then made announcements on the loudspeaker of the mosque, asking the villagers to rush to the accident site to aid in the rescue.

PoK is a mountainous region with treacherous roads. The carelessness of drivers and faulty vehicles combined with the road situation cause frequent accidents.

Four students and as many passengers were killed and 32 others injured in two road accidents in PoK's Poonch and Neelum districts last month.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)