SRINAGAR: At least 40 people, including 11 Shia Muslim pilgrims, were killed and several others injured in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday, officials said.
The first accident occurred when a bus carrying around 70 pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran overturned on the Makran coastal highway and fell into a ditch, police said.
At least 11 people died and 35 others injured in the accident in Balochistan province, over 100 km from Karachi.
The Makran Coastal Highway is a 653-km national highway that extends along the Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province.
Most of the passengers were from Lahore or Gujranwala, according to police sources. The driver apparently lost control of the bus, which first overturned and then fell into the ravine, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lasbela Capt. Naveed Alam said the bus was carrying pilgrims from Iran to Punjab when it overturned near Buzzi Top on the coastal highway after the driver lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.
He said that 11 bodies were retrieved from the ravine, while 35 injured were taken to nearby hospitals. “Four passengers are still trapped inside the remains of the bus and they are being rescued,” he said.
Hours later, 29 people were killed when a coaster bus carrying 30 people fell into a ditch in Muzaffarabad, said Qamar Nadeem of Edhi Foundation, which runs the country’s largest private ambulance service.
The accident took place on the Girari Bridge, Kahuta, some 400 km from Lahore, when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle due to the failure of brakes.
According to Rescue 1122, the dead include 23 men, five women and one child. Some of the bodies were taken out after cutting the bus.
Deputy Commissioner Sadhanoti Umar Farooq said the victims were from the Sadhanoti district.
The police, administration and rescue teams were present at the site of the incident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident, offering their condolences to the families of the deceased.
“In this hour of sorrow, my sympathies are with the families of the deceased,” Zardari said, stressing the need to speed up the relief activities.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz offered her condolences and expressed regret over the loss of lives.
The accidents come just days after a bus carrying Pakistani Shia pilgrims met with an accident in Iran, leaving 35 dead and 15 injured.
The authorities in Iran and Pakistan’s Gwadar have now imposed a travel ban for pilgrims from Iran’s Gabad to Gwadar.
Gwadar DC Hamoodur Rehman said a complete travel ban had been imposed on the movement of pilgrims from Iran’s Gabad to Gwadar for their safety.
“Iran has also banned the entry of pilgrims, and, therefore, they should avoid any travel at this time,” he said.
