PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - At least 11 people including women and children were killed when an overloaded passenger van plunged into a ravine in Pakistan's mountainous north-west on Sunday (April 30), officials said.

The accident happened at the Lowari Top pass to the scenic Chitral valley.

"All the 11 passengers were killed on the spot, while nine others were wounded, four of them critically," Faheedullah Khan, a senior government official, told AFP.

Khan said the van plunged into a ravine which was more than 46m deep. The dead included three women, a six-year-old girl and a boy aged seven.

The driver apparently lost control on a bend of the road, which was slippery with snow and rain, Khan said, adding the van was carrying too many people.

Pakistan has an appalling record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly-maintained vehicles and reckless driving.