QUETTA: At least 20 people were killed and 14 injured when a passenger bus fell into a ravine in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday night, confirmed an official while speaking to Arab News.
The bus carrying passengers from Pakistan’s Rawalpindi city was going to Quetta in Balochistan province when it went out of control and fell into the ravine in the Dana Sar area of Dera Ismail Khan.
About 6,000-8,000 people die each year in accidents on single-lane roads nicknamed “killer highways” that spread over thousands of miles in Balochistan, according to motorway authorities.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
“At least 20 people have been killed in the latest accident,” Mehtab Shah, assistant commissioner in district Sherani, told Arab News on Sunday. “The bodies have been shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Zhob.”
Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital Dr. Muzaffar Shah said 14 people who were injured in the accident were referred to Balochistan’s provincial capital, Quetta, for better medical care.
“Initially, we received five bodies because rescue teams had shifted some bodies to the Mughal Kot area of Dera Ismail Khan,” he said, adding more bodies were being shifted to Zhob after which they would be handed over to the victims’ relatives for burial.
District authorities have started investigating the incident to determine its cause. Rescue 1122 spokesperson in Dera Ismail Khan Aizaz Mehmood said initial reports suggested the accident happened since the road was slippery after the recent spell of rains in the province.
“The highway is full of curves with rugged mountains around it,” he continued. “Hence drivers avoid speeding in this particular area. However, the Rawalpindi-Quetta passenger bus got out of control and plunged into a ditch.”
Last month, at least 22 passengers were killed when a vehicle fell into a deep ravine in Balochistan’s Killa Saifullah district.
Every year, thousands commute from various areas in Pakistan to spend time with their relatives ahead of Eid Al-Adha. However, dilapidated roads and reckless driving have often claimed people’s lives in accidents across the country.