emergencies
At least 14 dead in Pakistan bus crash
The overturned bus at the scene of the accident: several people were killed or injured. photo
© —/XinHua/dpa
More than a dozen people are killed in a bus accident in Pakistan. It is not the first accident of this kind in the salt mountains.
At least 14 people have died after a bus crash in Pakistan. At least 22 passengers on the bus were injured, a spokesman for the highway police said on Sunday of the German Press Agency. Local media had previously reported that at least ten people had died. Initial investigations would indicate the bus’s brakes failed and the driver lost control, the spokesman said. Footage of the accident is circulating on social media, showing the bus leaving the road and overturning.
According to official information, the accident happened on Saturday in the Salt Mountains area near the town of Kallar Kahar. There have often been accidents in the area, often because people drive too fast on steep and winding sections. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sadness. He called the frequency of accidents in the salt mountains “disturbing”.
Road accidents are commonplace in Pakistan due to a lack of infrastructure, poorly maintained vehicles and careless driving. In January, 40 people died when a high-speed bus crashed into a bridge pillar and plunged into a ravine. In February, more than a dozen people were killed when a bus crashed in the Salt Mountains.