five students were found dead and twelve others have come up missing on Sunday at a tourist site in Pakistani Kashmir, after a bridge collapsed at a tourist site, officials reported stating it was unlikely survivors would be found.
The bridge, overlooked a view of the ravine in mountainous Neelum district, It collapsed after some three dozen university students walked across it to view a waterfall.
Chaudhary Imtiaz, a senior government official in Kashmir’s capital Muzaffarabad stated, “We have recovered four bodies of boys and one of a girl. Twelve others are still missing and we don’t have any hope about them (surviving) because the water is very cold.”
Imtiaz told AFP eight other students were injured in the accident.
Saleem Durrani a local police official verified the toll and said a warning had been posted near the bridge, telling visitors to walk across it in small numbers because it was only designed to accommodate five people at a time.
“The bridge collapsed because around 40 people climbed it… at the same time,” Durrani said.
“Its cemented foundation could not sustain the weight”, he added.
The scenic Himalayan region is a popular tourist destination but lacks infrastructure.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947, but both claim the territory in full.