KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: At least 20 people were killed and over a dozen others were injured after a bus plunged into a gorge in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, officials said on Friday.
The passenger bus was en route to Hunza from the garrison city of Rawalpindi when it plunged into a 300-meter-deep ravine near the Gunar Farm area in GB’s Diamer district, according to Sardar Sheheryar Khan, senior superintendent of police (SSP).
Rescue 1122, police and paramilitary Frontier Constabulary and GB Scouts immediately reached the site and shifted all bodies and injured persons to the Regional Headquarters Hospital in Chilas.
“Soon after the accident, announcements were made from loudspeakers of mosques and local people rushed to the site and joined hands with the administration for the rescue,” Khan told Arab News.
“Dozens of locals are at the hospital for blood donation. Emergency has been imposed at the hospital and all doctors and paramedical staff are busy treating the injured.”
The driver lost control of the bus, which carried 42 passengers, while navigating a curve and it fell into the ravine, according to officials.
“Among the five critically injured, two were shifted to Gilgit via road and three others will be airlifted by army helicopter soon,” Fiaz Ahmad, the Diamer deputy commissioner told reporters.
“Best treatment was being given to injured,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed regret over the loss of precious lives in the accident. “The prime minister issued directives to provide all possible medical aid to the injured,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi extended his condolences to the families of the deceased. “We equally share the sorrow of the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” he said in a statement.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in many rural areas, are in poor condition. In the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region, road tragedies are daily news.
In July 2023 alone, at least 41 people, including tourists, were killed in road mishaps across the region, according to rescue officials. In 2022, at least 77 people died and 467 were wounded in accidents in GB.
At least 20 killed as bus plunges into gorge in northern Pakistan
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At least 20 killed as bus plunges into gorge in northern Pakistan
- The bus, which carried 42 passengers, was en route to Rawalpindi from Hunza
- Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed
Pakistan says over 500 Afghan Taliban militants killed in airstrikes as fighting continues
- Clashes began last week after Afghanistan targeted Pakistani military sites along the border
- Pakistan says it struck 62 targets in Afghanistan, destroyed 237 check posts in the conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 755 and struck 62 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday, as fighting between the two neighbors enters the second week.
Clashes between the two countries began last week when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Last Friday, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the situation had become “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan as strikes and fighting escalated.
“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 527 killed, 755 + injured, 237 checkposts destroyed, 38 posts captured, 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar wrote on the social media platform X.
“62 locations across Afghanistan effectively targeted by air.”
The development comes after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, announced a fresh offensive against Pakistan earlier today.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara would help restore a ceasefire, as other countries that had offered to mediate have themselves been affected by the conflict in the Gulf.
