A passenger bus travelling from Quetta to Peshawar plunged into a deep ravine in Balochistan’s mountainous Dana Sar area on Friday, killing at least 40 people and injuring eight others.
Authorities said the vehicle left the roadway along the Zhob-Sherani route before tumbling into the gorge, in what is being described as one of the region’s worst road accidents in recent years.
They said 40 people had lost their lives, while the eight survivors injured in the crash had been admitted to hospitals for medical treatment.
The police said rescue personnel, district officials and other government agencies remained engaged in evacuation, recovery and relief efforts, while healthcare teams continued treating those wounded in the accident.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the bus was carrying its scheduled passengers as well as additional travellers transferred from another coach that had broken down earlier on the route, Rind said.
The rescue operations were hampered by the difficult mountainous landscape, which slowed access to the crash site, though teams continued to retrieve victims and assist survivors.
Provincial health authorities declared an emergency at nearby hospitals to mobilise medical staff and ensure immediate treatment for the injured.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the deadly crash on the Zhob-Sherani Highway and directed the relevant authorities to ensure that the injured received the highest standard of medical care.