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 150 feet (46 metres) 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.