Bus accident leaves 19 dead and more than 10 injured

A tragedy has left 19 dead in southwestern Pakistan.

12 people were also injured in the bus accident.

The driver lost control of the passenger vehicle and fell into a deep ravine.

Tragic accident. Authorities confirmed that 19 people were killed and 12 others injured on Sunday, July 3, in southwestern Pakistan, when a passenger bus ran off a mountain road into a deep ravine amid heavy rain.

Mahtab Shah, assistant district administrator for Shirani district in Baluchistan province, said some 35 passengers were on the bus which had the accident. Rescuers were still searching for survivors in and around the wreckage of the destroyed vehicle, according to the AP report.

Deadly bus accident confirmed

He stated that, in the early hours of Sunday, the bus skidded on the wet road in the middle of a downpour and the driver lost control of the vehicle, which ended up falling about 61 meters into a ravine.

Alarabiya News also reported that the bus accident left 19 dead and he noted that 14 were injured. The identities of all the victims have not been released. The vehicle skidded off a slippery road near Danisar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on its way to Quetta from Rawalpindi, local official Ejaz Jaffer told the AFP news agency.

19 dead and more than 10 injured in tragic accident

Local television footage showed rescuers tending to bloodied passengers, according to The Times of India. The rain and the speed of the vehicle led to the accident, The Express Tribune quoted Assistant Superintendent Syed Mehtab Shah as saying.

Rescue teams rushed to the site after receiving the information, Shah said, adding that the bodies of the victims were taken to the hospital for identification. Zhob Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Noorul Haq said the injured were in critical condition and the death toll could rise, The Times of India reported.

Fatalities continue

Baluchistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo deplored the tragic bus accident and ordered an emergency to be declared at the Zhob Civil Hospital to ensure prompt treatment for the injured. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also sent his condolences to the families of the deceased, The Times of India reported.

The AP commented that fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure and traffic violations, as well as poor vehicle maintenance. The report detailed that 22 people were killed in a similar accident last month when another bus fell into a ravine in Qila Saifullah district.