At least 28 killed after bus falls into ravine in Pakistan’s Balochistan

At least 28 people were killed when a bus plunged off the road into a deep ravine in southwestern Pakistan, hospital and government officials said.

The crash happened around dawn in Basima town in Balochistan province on Wednesday while the bus was travelling from Turbat city to Quetta.

"The driver was navigating a turn in a mountainous area when the vehicle lost control and fell into a ravine," Ismail Mengal, a local government official said.

"We are still investigating the cause of the incident. It could be that the driver fell asleep or was speeding, which led to the accident."

Noorullah Essazai, a government health official in Washuk district where the incident happened, said 28 people were killed, adding that a total of 54 passengers were travelling in the bus.

Some of the survivors have sustained serious injuries, he said, and are being treated at a local hospital.

“We have eight to 10 critically injured patients and are making arrangements to send them to Quetta by helicopter while some others will be shifted to a hospital in Khuzdar,” said Essazai, referring to a town 120km (75 miles) away.

Muhammad Ismail, a government official in Washuk, said the bus crashed through a bridge and fell into a rocky ravine. The bus driver is among the dead.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has "expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic traffic accident", his office said in a statement.

Road accidents with high fatalities are common in Pakistan, where safety measures are lax, driver training is poor and transport infrastructure often decrepit.

At least 17 pilgrims were killed and 41 injured in a crash in April as they travelled to a shrine in Balochistan's Hub district.

In January last year, 41 people were killed when their bus, which was also loaded with containers of flammable oil, careered off the road into a valley and burst into flames.

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Source: TRT