Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, June 27: At least 44 passengers of a bus had a narrow escape after its driver suffered massive heart- attack while driving and died while being rushed to hospital in Mendhar Sub Division of district Poonch today.
Reports said that incident took place when Bus No. JK02M/ 5807, was on way to Kalaban, the home village of MLA Javed Rana from Mendhar Sub Divisional headquarters. The bus was smoothly moving towards its destination and it was not even over-loaded.
Near Chhunga, about 13 kilometers short of its destination on the mountainous road, the driver while negotiating a sharp- curve suffered heart attack. Feeling uneasy and severely sweating while driving, he sensed trouble and moved the vehicle towards hill side putting down the front wheel into the deep side drain.
Displaying his sense of responsibility towards the precious lives of 44 passengers on board and mental alertness even while taking last breaths, the 36-year old driver- Zulfkar turned semi-unconscious on his driving seat. Some of the passengers started crying in the bus as what had happened. They thought accident has taken place due to brake failure.
There was about 250 ft deep gorge on the other side of the road. The driver if had not shown the mental alertness, the vehicle would have been landed into the gorge with least chance of survival of any passenger.
As the vehicle stopped after being trapped into the side deep drain, the passengers started moving out of the bus in panic. Then they realized that something wrong has happened to the driver. They rushed the driver to Mendhar hospital where doctors declared him as brought dead. The deceased was later identified as Zulfkar, son of Abdul Khaliq, resident of Chhajla village in Mendhar.
SDPO, Mendhar, Riaz Tantray said that bus left for Kalaban about 25 kms from Mendar in the afternoon and the mishap took place at around 2.40 pm near Chhunga. He said due to the alertness of driver and his wisdom, the precious lives of nearly 44 passengers could be saved. Even while dying, the driver Zulfkar has displayed an exemplary mental alertness and saved the lives of his passengers. He said that his body after performing legal formalities was handed over to the family this evening.
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