KHAPLU: At least three people were killed and more than 20 wounded after a passenger bus fell into a ravine in the northern Pakistani district of Diamer on Sunday, officials said.
The bus was carrying 25 passengers when it crashed in Hudore area on its way to Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan from Rawalpindi, according to Muhammad Ayaz, a senior police official in Diamer.
Police, Rescue 1122, district administration and residents of the area rescued the injured passengers and shifted them to hospital.
“The accident took place at around 7am this morning,” Ayaz told Arab News on Sunday. “Three people were killed and 22 injured, who were shifted to Regional Hospital Chilas.”
Apparently, he said, the driver lost control of the vehicle while taking a turn, plunging the bus into the 250-feet gorge.
Umer Farooq, who speaks for the Chilas regional hospital, confirmed the number of casualties to Arab News.
“Treatment is underway for all injured at the hospital and no one has been shifted to other cities as we have all facilities,” Farooq said.
“Among the deceased, one is from Skardu district and two others are from Narowal and Kohistan districts.”
An emergency had been imposed at the hospital and local volunteers were present on the premises to donate blood to the injured persons, Farooq added.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid in a statement expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives and directed authorities to provide best treatment to the wounded.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in the country’s north and southwest, are in poor condition.
There have been a number of transport tragedies in Pakistan recently, including when at least 18 people were killed and several others were injured last month after a bus traveling from the northern Gilgit region to Rawalpindi had a head-on crash with a car.
Similarly, more than 40 people were killed when a bus fell into a ravine and caught fire in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Jan 29.
