40 killed after overcrowded bus plunges into ravine in Pakistan

QUETTA — Forty people were killed and 8 others injured after an overcrowded passenger bus plunged into a ravine in south-western Pakistan.The bus was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when it crashed in the Dana Sar mountain range, on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, at about 08:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday, Sanaullah Sherani, the head of Zhob district’s emergency center, told the AFP news agency on Friday.“The bus fell approximately 70 to 80 feet (21 to 24 meters) into the ravine,” Sherani added.A government official at Zhob Hospital told BBC News that a total of 48 people, including a number of women and children, had been on board when the accident happened.The speeding bus lost control early on Friday and fell into the rocky ravine in a remote area near the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, told The Associated Press.He added that the bus was carrying not only its own passengers but also passengers from another bus that had broken down, leaving the vehicle overcrowded.Preliminary reports suggest a steering fault may have led the driver to lose control before skidding off the mountain range.A police official told DPA news agency that speeding was a likely cause of the crash but an investigation had been launched to determine the exact reason.Dozens of emergency responders and ambulances from both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces were deployed to the scene following the crash, but rescue and recovery efforts were hampered by the difficult terrain.“As the accident occurred in a rugged mountainous area, rescue teams faced significant difficulties during the initial phase of the operation,” Sherani told AFP.Officials said they are working to identify those killed in the crash.Photographs from the scene showed the badly damaged bus following its plunge to the bottom of the ravine.Officials confirmed the injured were taken to the District Headquarters hospital in Zhob, about 68km (42 miles) from the crash site.The bodies of those killed were also taken to the hospital and following identification, will be transported to their hometowns by ambulance.Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the crash, offering condolences to the families of those killed and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.In a post on X, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the accident, and ordered an inquiry into how it had happened.”I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased and pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said, adding that immediate medical support was being provided to the injured.