ISLAMABAD: At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in two separate bus crashes in northern Pakistan, officials confirmed Monday, the latest fatal incidents on the country’s notoriously dangerous roads.
Officials in the northern city of Skardu said a bus headed to Rondu district came off the road and slid into a ravine after the driver lost control following a sharp turn.
“There were 26 passengers in the bus, 19 of them were killed on the spot while seven others were critically injured,” local administration official Khurram Pervazi told AFP.
A second official Ghulam Murtaza confirmed the toll.
On Sunday five people died and 17 were injured when a bus fell into a ravine near the town of Arja, northeast of Islamabad, said local official Abdul Hameed Kiyani.
Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, many blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
The country’s northern mountainous areas have a particularly appalling record with often unpaved roads along sheer cliffs setting the scene for numerous gruesome traffic accidents over the years.
24 killed, dozens injured in Pakistan bus crashes
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24 killed, dozens injured in Pakistan bus crashes
- 19 people died when a bus slid into a ravine near Skardu while another five were killed in similar accident near Islamabad
- Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents
Pakistan, Bahrain step up cooperation against drugs, security threats
- Decision taken during President Zardari’s meeting with Bahrain interior minister
- Pakistan and Bahrain maintain close diplomatic, defense, trade and labor ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain agreed to enhance counterterrorism and counternarcotics cooperation in talks between President Asif Ali Zardari and Bahrain Interior Minister Lt Gen Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Thursday, said an official statement.
The Pakistani president is on a four-day visit to the Gulf country where he met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa a day earlier, with both sides emphasizing closer trade, investment and security collaboration.
Zardari's visit follows Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's meeting with Al Khalifa in November in which they discussed regional security, law-enforcement and intelligence sharing.
"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration on shared security priorities and agreed to pursue coordinated efforts against threats posed by organized crime, illicit drugs and terrorism," the Presidential Secretariat said in a statement circulated after the meeting in Manama.
"The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in security, counternarcotics measures and counterterrorism."
Pakistan and Bahrain maintain close diplomatic, defense and labor ties.
More than 116,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain, forming one of the kingdom’s largest South Asian communities.
Pakistan has in recent years intensified outreach to Gulf states, viewing closer economic and security ties as central to its long-term stability and reform agenda.
