QUETTA: At least 20 passengers were killed and 10 others injured when a Quetta-bound bus fell into a ravine in Shirani district of Balochistan, said the police.
Earlier in the day, Shirani district’s assistant commissioner revealed that 19 passengers were killed and 12 others sustained injuries in the tragic accident. The police said that the death toll in the accident rose to 20 after one more patient succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
According to the rescue officials, the ill-fated passenger bus was heading to Quetta from Rawalpindi when it plunged into a deep ravine near Danasar area of Shirani district.
Shirani district’s assistant commissioner, however, said the incident took place within the limits of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After being informed, the police and rescue officials rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and injured to the hospitals in Zhob and Mughal Kot, said the assistant commissioner. The reason behind the incident has yet to be ascertained. The deceased have also yet to be identified.
President Arif Alvi expressed profound grief on the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident and prayed for higher status in heaven for the departed souls.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the Balochistan bus accident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed to provide immediate and the best medical care to the injured.
Balochistan Chief Minister Quddus Bizenjo expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident. He directed the administration and the rescue officials to expedite their efforts. He ordered the authorities to impose a state of emergency in Zhob’s hospitals and provide the best medical facilities to the injured.
Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident and extended his sympathy to the families of the victims.
Expressing profound sorrow over the tragic incident, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan prayed for the early recovery of the injured. He also directed the concerned authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured. –Agencies
