ISLAMABAD: Eight people, including women and children, were killed after a jeep plunged into a ravine in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, rescue officials said.
The incident occurred in KP’s Shangla district, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell into the ravine, according a spokesperson of the Rescue 1122 service.
As a consequence, four women and three children were killed on the spot, while one person was injured who was shifted to the district headquarters hospital.
“A rescue team recovered bodies of the victims and handed them over to relatives,” the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said the injured person later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
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 country’s mountainous north, such tragedies are frequently reported.
In March, at least 20 people were killed and over a dozen others were injured after a bus plunged into a gorge in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
Eight killed as jeep plunges into ravine in northwest Pakistan
https://arab.news/5w46b
Eight killed as jeep plunges into ravine in northwest Pakistan
- The incident occurred in the northwestern Shangla district after the driver lost control of the vehicle
- Road crashes are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed, roads are in poor condition
Pakistan launches double-decker buses in Karachi after 65 years to tackle transport woes
- Karachi citizens will be able to travel in double-decker buses from Jan. 1, says Sindh government
- City faces mounting transport challenges such as lack of buses, traffic congestion, poorly built roads
ISLAMABAD: The government in Sindh province on Wednesday launched double-decker buses in the provincial capital of Karachi after a gap of 65 years, vowing to improve public transport facilities in the metropolis.
Double-decker buses are designed to carry more passengers than single-deck vehicles without taking up extra road space. The development takes place amid increasing criticism against the Sindh government regarding Karachi’s mounting public transport challenges and poor infrastructural problems.
Pakistan’s largest city by population faces severe transportation challenges due to overcrowding in buses, traffic congestion and limited bus options. Commuters, as a result, rely on private vehicles or unregulated transport options that are often unsafe and expensive.
“Double-decker buses have once again been introduced for the people of Karachi after 65 years,” a statement issued by the Sindh information ministry said.
Sindh Transportation Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah inaugurated the bus service. The ministry said the facility will be available to the public starting Jan. 1.
The statement highlighted that new electric bus routes will also be launched across the entire province starting next week. It added that the aim of introducing air-conditioned buses, low-fare services, and fare subsidies is to make public transport more accessible to the people.
The ministry noted that approximately 1.5 million people travel daily in Karachi using the People’s Bus Service, while around 75,000 passengers use the Orange Line and Green Line BRT services.
“With the integration of these routes, efforts are being made to benefit up to 100,000 additional people,” the ministry said.
