At least 40 individuals lost their lives, and eight others sustained injuries following a tragic incident where an overcrowded bus veered off a cliff in southwestern Pakistan.
The accident occurred on the Zhob-Sherani Highway in the Dana Sar area, close to the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, during the early hours of Friday, as confirmed by officials.
Sanaullah Sherani, the head of Zhob district’s emergency center, reported that a passenger bus en route from Quetta to Peshawar tumbled into a deep ravine in the mountainous Dana Sar region, plummeting around 70 to 80 feet.
According to Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, the bus was carrying its own passengers as well as individuals from another bus that had broken down, leading to overcrowding. Rescue teams are currently engaged in the process of identifying the deceased from the tragic accident.
President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan expressed deep sorrow over the incident, extending condolences to the affected families and wishing a prompt recovery to the injured victims.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also conveyed his condolences and emphasized the importance of ensuring that the injured receive top-notch medical treatment.
Tragic road incidents are a common occurrence in Pakistan due to substandard road conditions, lax enforcement of traffic regulations, and risky driving behaviors, particularly in hilly terrains.
In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed several fatal accidents, such as the one in May where 17 people perished and five others were injured in a collision involving a minibus and a parked bus along a motorway in northwest Pakistan.
Additionally, in January, 24 individuals lost their lives, and 45 others were wounded in two separate road mishaps occurring within a few hours of each other. One incident took place in Sargodha, Punjab province, involving a truck that skidded off the road in dense fog, plunging into a canal and resulting in 14 fatalities and nine injuries. Shortly after, a passenger bus overturned on the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan, claiming the lives of 10 individuals and injuring 36 others. The bus was traveling from Karachi, Sindh province, to Jiwani, Balochistan.
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