Six people, including two women, were killed on Saturday when a passenger van plunged into a deep ravine in the Biran Gali Khari area of Abbottabad after its brakes reportedly failed.

Rescue officials said the van was travelling from Biran Gali towards Abbottabad when it lost control at a sharp point along the route and fell into the gorge.

The victims included four men and two women, identified as 25-year-old Maria, 33-year-old Fatima, Zulfiqar, Zubair, Yasir and Akhtar.

Rescue 1122 teams and police reached the site soon after the incident and retrieved all bodies from the wreckage.

Officials said the cause of the crash appeared to be brake failure, adding that further assessment of the vehicle and the site is underway.