At least 40 people were killed and eight others injured after a passenger bus plunged into a deep ravine in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Friday, officials said.
According to police, the overcrowded bus was likely speeding. An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The bus was travelling from the southwestern city of Quetta when it lost control, veered off the road and fell into the ravine in Dana Sar, a remote mountainous area near the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government.
Pakistan President Zardari expresses condolences
The bus was carrying 48 passengers, including those who had transferred from another bus that had broken down, officials said.
Rescue workers used cutters and machines to retrieve victims from the wreck of the vehicle before transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.
Some of those injured were reported to be in critical condition.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti have expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
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