28 passengers dead after bus falls into ravine near Turbat

QUETTA: At least 28 people were killed and 22 others were injured in the southwestern province of Balochistan on May 28 after a bus they were travelling in fell into a ravine.

The bus from Turbat city was headed towards the provincial capital Quetta when it crashed in the mountainous region. Some of the survivors sustained serious injuries and were treated at a local hospital.

Noorullah Essazai, a government health official in Washuk district where the incident happened, confirmed the number of deaths and adding that a total of 54 passengers were travelling in the bus.

According to media reports, Basima Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ismail Mengal said the bus crashed through a bridge when a tyre of the vehicle burst and fell into a rocky ravine. The bus driver is among the dead.

He said three women and three children were also among the deceased while the bus was carrying around 45 to 50 passengers. Six passengers died on the spot while some of the injured were in critical condition.

The bodies and the injured were taken to the Basima Civil Hospital, where 22 more people succumbed to their injuries. Nine of the injured were transferred to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Khuzdar.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly in its mountainous regions in Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier this month, at least 20 people were killed and dozens of others wounded when a passenger bus fell off a ravine in Gilgit-Baltistan.