PESHAWAR: A minivan fell from a mountain road into a river Sunday in northwestern Pakistan, killing seven people and injuring three others, a rescue official said.
Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Pakistan's rescue service, said the van fell into Siren River in the district of Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He said the fall apparently happened because the van was speeding when it made a sharp turn without slowing down.
Faizi said the bodies of two women, a boy and four men were recovered and three injured children were taken to a hospital in the town of Phulra.
Deadly accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor road infrastructure and disregard for traffic laws and safety standards.
Last week, a passenger bus fell into Jehlum River near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, killing 10 people and injuring 15.
Seven die after van falls into river in northwest Pakistan
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Seven die after van falls into river in northwest Pakistan
- Van fell into Siren River in the district of Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- Injured children were taken to a hospital in the town of Phulra
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
