ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A van carrying 21 tourists plunged into River Indus in Kohistan district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, leaving nine of them killed, local media and police said.

The passengers were on their way to a hilly resort when their van plunged into the river, the largest river in the country, local Urdu TV Channel Dawn News reported.

Police said that seven of the passengers onboard managed to jump out of the vehicle when it was falling down, and received minor injuries, while 14 others fell into the river and were swept away by the gushing water of Indus.

Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

Rescue teams and local volunteers recovered nine bodies while a search for the remaining five is still underway.

Local police said that the accident happened due to the bad condition of the road and reckless driving.