At least 32 people were killed and 16 others injured after an overcrowded passenger bus plunged into a ravine in southwestern Pakistan.
The bus was heading from Quetta to Peshawar when it crashed in the Dana Sar mountain range, on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at about 08:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday.
A government official at Zhob Hospital told news agency that 48 people, including women and children, had been on board when the accident happened.
Initial reports suggest a steering fault may have caused the driver to lose control before the vehicle skidded off the mountain, falling 70 to 80 feet into the ravine.
Photographs show the severely damaged bus after it hit the ravine’s bottom.
Injured passengers were transported to District Headquarters hospital in Zhob, about 68km (42 miles) from the crash site. Their bodies were also taken to the hospital for identification before returning to their hometowns.
Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan chief minister, said the bus had been overcrowded after picking up passengers from a broken‑down vehicle.
National leaders including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.
The Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ordered an inquiry into how the accident occurred and offered condolences to the families, pledging swift medical support for the wounded.
Such fatal accidents are common in Pakistan, often caused by reckless driving, poor road conditions and poorly maintained vehicles.
In 2024, similar incidents saw 17 pilgrims killed and 40 injured after a bus fell into a ravine while traveling to Balochistan for Eid celebrations.
