Quetta: In a major accident, at least 28 people were killed in Pakistan on Wednesday and 20 others were injured after a Quetta-bound bus plunged into a ravine in Balochistan province's Washuk district, according to local media reports. Police officials have attributed the probable cause of the accident as a result of a tyre burst, which sent the bus down into the ravine.
According to Dawn, the bus was travelling from Gwadar to Quetta, and women and children were among those deceased. The death count is likely to increase as some of the injured are in critical condition, according to officials. At least 22 people succumbed to their injuries at the Basima Civil Hospital, where the injured were taken.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the incident and directed relevant authorities to provide adequate assistance to the injured persons. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed grief and condolences to the families of the victims of the accident and directed that the best medical facilities be provided to the injured.
On May 18, at least 13 members of the same family were killed and nine others were injured after a truck they were travelling in skidded off the road and plunged into a ravine in Punjab province's Khushab district. Sources told Geo News that the accident occurred due to a brake failure on the road in Khushab after which the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Road accidents in Pakistan
The family was on its way towards Khushab and the deceased included some women. Rescue officials said the deceased and the injured belonged to an extended family who were coming to Khushab for labour work. Some eyewitnesses said the driver lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.
In a separate incident, at least 20 people were killed after a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous terrain and plunged into a ravine in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this month, according to authorities. The bus was reportedly on its way from Punjab's province of Rawalpindi to Hunza when the driver lost control of the vehicle on the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district.
Earlier last month, a truck carrying pilgrims fell into a deep ravine in Balochistan's Hub district, killing 17 people and injuring more than 30 others, police said on Thursday. The pilgrims were going to pay homage at the remote Muslim Sufi shrine Shah Noorani in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan when the mishap occurred.
It should be mentioned here that road accidents are frequent in Pakistan and claim numerous lives on a daily basis. Poor roads, lack of safety awareness and blatant disregard for traffic rules often cause fatal accidents in Pakistan. According to a report, the fatality rate on Pakistan's road network is one of the highest across the world at more than 25,000 deaths. Additionally, passenger buses are often filled beyond capacity and seatbelts are not worn.
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