JAMMU, Aug. 27 -- Six people died and three others injured, one of them critically, after a Maruti Eeco van veered off the road and plunged into a gorge in Poonch's Surankote sub-division on Wednesday evening, said officials.

"Six people have died and three others have been injured. It was a Maruti Eeco van that veered off a link road near Shiendhara," said Poonch deputy magistrate Ashok Kumar Sharma.

The vehicle was reportedly being plied without permit from the transport department. A total of eight passengers were on board the ill-fated vehicle. Further details are awaited.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Shafiq (32), Nazakat Hussain (34), Sheraz Ahmed (30), Musarat Naz (19), Mohammad Fareed (21) and Zulfat Bi (25), all res...