Dozens killed after bus falls into ravine and boat sinks
Children among dead in separate travel incidents in Pakistan
Two separate travel-related incidents in a single day in Pakistan have led to the deaths of 51 people, including at least 10 children, said officials. Of these, 41 were killed after a passenger bus fell into a ravine in the southern Pakistani province of Balochistan yesterday, said local media reports.
The bus was carrying 48 people who were on a trip from Balochistan’s capital Quetta to the southern city of Karachi, local officials said. It crashed into a bridge and fell into a ravine before catching fire and causing severe burn injuries to passengers. Officials recovered the bodies of 41 people, including women and children, said Hamza Anjum Nadeem, assistant commissioner in Bela.
Another four passengers were rescued and were left with injuries. The status of the remaining three passengers is not yet known. Officials also have not revealed how many women and children were victims in the incident. Mr Nadeem said the crash happened due to over-speeding, which led the bus to hit the pillar of a bridge.
“It caught fire soon after falling into the ravine,” the official said, adding that 41 of the total 48 passengers succumbed to their injuries, reported Pakistan daily Dawn. The bodies of the passengers were charred beyond recognition and have been sent to Karachi for DNA sampling, the assistant commissioner said. After identification, the officials will hand the remains over to the family relatives of the victims, he said.
In a separate incident, 10 children were killed in northwest Pakistan after the boat they were travelling in capsized. The victims were travelling to the Tanda Dam lake on a school day trip. Rescue officials said the victims were 7-14 years of age and that they have recovered six bodies so far, reported Dawn, citing rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi.
Rescue 1122 is a government emergency rescue service that covers several of the country’s provinces. Mr Faizi added that four children were in critical condition and were moved to a district headquarters hospital. At least 17 children and a teacher have been rescued, he said.
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