17 dead, 10 injured in Pakistan as van hits parked bus

ISLAMABAD — A speeding min bus collided with a passenger bus parked on a roadside in Pakistan’s northwest on Monday, killing at least 17 people and injuring 10 others, police said. The accident took place on the Swat Expressway in Mardan district. The crash occurred when a passenger bus traveling from Swat to Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province developed a mechanical fault and stopped on the roadside. Passengers had stepped out of the vehicle and were waiting nearby when a mini bus lost control and plowed into the crowd and the parked bus.“At least 17 people have been killed and more than 10 injured,” Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a rescue official told AFP, adding that three of the injured were in critical condition.Muhammad Ali, a doctor at a local hospital receiving the victims, also confirmed the death toll.Many of the passengers were traveling home ahead of Eid, one of the most important religious festivals in the Muslim calendar.Hospital and rescue officials said the identities of the dead and injured had yet to be ascertained.However, they said that the majority of the victims hailed from Dir and Bajaur.Road accidents remain common in Pakistan due to weak enforcement of traffic laws, speeding, poor road safety standards, and reckless driving.