Bus crash kills 25 in Pakistan as brakes fail on mountain road

ISLAMABAD: A bus crash in northern Pakistan killed 26 people on Sunday after its brakes failed on a winding mountain road, police said.

Another 20 passengers were injured when the bus smashed head-on into a dirt embankment, said Abdul Wakil, a local police officer.

Such road accidents are common in Pakistan, where motorists largely disregard traffic rules and safety standards on worn-out roads. Last month, a speeding bus fell off a mountainous road into a river in the northwest, killing 24 passengers.

Rescue efforts were hampered Sunday by the remote terrain near the town of Chilas on the route between the cities of Rawalpindi and Skardu.

A THIRD OF PAK KIDS MISS OUT ON VACCINES

In Pakistan, more than a third of children miss out on vaccines, a government report, said adding that only 66% of children aged between 12 and 23 months received all basic vaccinations in 2017-18 and just 51% got age-appropriate vaccinations. The Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 said that basic vaccination coverage differed slightly by a residence as urban children were more likely to receive all basic vaccinations than rural children.