Islamabad, June 7 (IANS) A passenger van plunged into a ravine in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claiming eight lives while injuring at least three others, a government official said.

The incident took place on Sunday when the van tumbled off the road near the Phulda area of Mansehra district, Deputy Commissioner of Mansehra Qasim Ali Khan told Xinhua news agency.

Two women and three children were among the killed, said the official, adding that initial investigation showed that the accident happened when the van driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn due to overspeeding.

Following the accident, rescue teams and local volunteers reached the site and retrieved bodies and the injured, and shifted them to a nearby hospital where several of the injured are in critical condition, police told local media.

The van was carrying the passengers from Mansehra to the neighbouring Lassan Nawab town.

--IANS ksk/