UPDATE 2 - Pakistan: 25 killed as van plunges into river

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - ***All 25 passengers were killed after a van plunged into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Monday morning, an official said.

The vehicle fell into the river in Skardu district, a famous tourist destination which borders China.

Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan region where Skardu is located, had earlier confirmed 21 deaths adding that four persons were injured in the accident.

"The four wounded succumbed to their injuries on the way to the hospital," Faraq told Anadolu Agency.

A rescue operation backed by army helicopters was underway to pull out the bodies, he said.

Ghulam Murtaza, an assistant district commissioner, told reporters that the accident appeared to be the result of overspeed, a common cause of several similar incidents in the mountainous region.

Local broadcaster G News reported that 12 bodies have been recovered by rescuers.

Murtaza said an emergency was declared at the district hospitals.