Pakistan is in mourning over road insecurity. Two bus accidents have left at least 36 dead, including 12 Pakistani pilgrims who had been turned back at the border with Iran, rescue and police officials said on Sunday.
All 24 passengers on board a bus died after the vehicle fell into a ravine near the northern town of Azad Pattan, which borders Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“It’s the end of the world for my family”
“I have lost three members of my family,” said Tara Zafar, who went to the hospital after being informed of the accident. His father, sister and a one-year-old nephew were among the dead. “It’s the end of the world for my family.”
Another bus accident with similar circumstances killed 12 Pakistani pilgrims after their vehicle plunged into a ravine on Sunday morning on a road in the southwestern city of Balochistan. They had previously been prevented from entering Iran.
“This is a particularly dangerous stretch of road, with many bends and turns. The driver was speeding and the bus fell into a deep ravine,” said Aslam Bangulzai, a police official who visited the scene. The accident happened in a mountainous area, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the nearest town, Uthal, and 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Iranian border town of Pishin.
Recurring accidents
“The bus was carrying pilgrims on their way to Arbaeen (a major Shiite pilgrimage in Iraq) but was turned back at the Iranian border due to problems with their papers,” said Hamood Ur Rehman, a senior official in the city of Gwadar in Balochistan. An army crane had to be used to lift the wreckage of the vehicle.
Road fatalities are particularly high in Pakistan, due to poor road conditions, lax regulations and dangerous driving. Buses are often overcrowded and seat belts are not widely worn. Single-vehicle road accidents are common.