Pakistan: 15 killed, 60 injured as bus overturns on road in Punjab province

At least 15 people were killed and 60 injured when a speeding bus carrying a wedding party veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in Pakistan’s Punjab province, officials said on Monday.

The bus, which was traveling from Islamabad to Lahore, overturned late on Sunday in the Kallar Kahar salt range, 240 km from Lahore.

“The bus hit three vehicles coming from the opposite direction before overturning and went off the road,” Rescue 1122 officer Muhammad Farooq told PTI on Monday.

The bus was carrying people returning from weddings.

The rescue 1122 emergency service says brake failure is the apparent cause of the accident.

Farooq said that the body of the bus had to be cut off and many of the dead and injured had to be removed.

“The injured have been shifted to hospitals in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, of which 11 are in a critical condition,” he said, adding that six of the dead were women.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed condolences over the accident. He ordered the authorities to provide best medical facilities to the injured.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan and are mainly caused by bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and unprofessional driving.

Last month, at least 41 people were killed when a passenger coach fell into a ravine in Balochistan’s Laspela.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 27,000 people were killed on Pakistan’s roads in 2018.