18 dead, 39 injured in Pakistan ravine bus crash
A speeding bus packed with passengers plunged into a deep ravine in eastern Pakistan early today, killing at least 18 people and injuring 39, police and hospital sources said.
The accident occurred near Jehlum, a small city about 60 miles south-east of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, said Umar Irk, city police chief.
Pakistan’s private Geo television reported that the driver lost control of the bus as it went around a sharp corner on the main highway.
“We have heard that the bus was speeding at the time on a dangerous road,” Irk said.
The bodies and injured have been transported to two nearby hospitals.
The driver survived, but was in critical condition, said Mohammed Ahmed, a doctor at the government-run hospital in Deena
He said a total of 18 bodies had been counted at the two hospitals, while 39 others were being treated. He feared that the death toll may rise because six people were in critical condition.
Also Saturday, seven people, including four young boys, were killed when a minibus they were travelling in collided with another bus on a narrow road near Lie, a town in eastern Punjab province, said Mirza Ramzan, an area police officer. He gave no other details.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where many roads are poorly maintained, and drivers often are not properly trained and frequently disregard rules.
Earlier this month, a minibus fell into a ravine in a remote mountainous region in north-western Pakistan, leaving nine people dead and eight others injured.
