At least 26 people were killed when a bus carrying a wedding party plunged into the Indus River in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is part of a Pakistan-administered territory. According to Pakistani media website Dawn, Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sher Khan said the bus was travelling from Astore to Chakwal in Punjab. The driver appears to have lost control when the vehicle was on the Telchi bridge at approximately 1 PM due to speeding, causing it to veer off into the river below.

The bus was carrying 27 passengers at the time, and rescue teams were able to recover 13 bodies from the river. The bride, initially rescued but critically injured, was taken to the Regional Headquarters (RHQ) Hospital in Gilgit, where she unfortunately passed away from her injuries, reported Dawn.

Twelve people remain missing and are presumed dead, though search efforts are ongoing despite harsh weather conditions. Of those who lost their lives, 19 were from Astore, and four — including the groom — were residents of Chakwal.

The rescue operation, supervised by the Diamer deputy commissioner and superintendent, involved five local divers and two boats. Crews successfully retrieved the bus from the river using a crane. The search is set to continue along downstream areas, with police requesting that local residents keep an eye out for any bodies along the riverbank. According to Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, contractors from the nearby Diamer Bhasha Dam project have joined the search efforts, while assistance from navy divers has also been requested.