Islamabad: At least 36 people lost their lives in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday. According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, 12 people were killed on the Makran Coastal Highway in the southwestern province of Balochistan. Another mishap in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) claimed 24 lives when a bus plunged into a deep ravine, Al Jazeera reported, citing local authorities.
The first accident occurred overnight, when a bus carrying Shia pilgrims returning from Iran for religious commemoration veered off the road.
32 people were also injured and reported to be in critical condition, the provincial government said.
Four people remained trapped inside the coach, and a crane was ordered to evacuate them, local police authorities said, according to Pakistani news outlet Dawn.
The second accident took place in the Kahuta district in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province. It was heading towards PoJK. Initially, local police said that there were seven injured, but later doctors and government officials said that everyone onboard the bus died in the crash. Raja Moazzam, a rescue official, said most of the bodies had been identified.
“The accident was caused due to the coaster’s failed brakes,” rescue official Usman Gujjar told Dawn.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief on the incidents in separate statements.
Pak Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed his “heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased in both accidents.”
Notably, road accidents frequently occur in Pakistan due to inadequate infrastructure, poorly maintained vehicles, and reckless driving.
Around 9,000 incidents are reported every year, leading to over 5,000 deaths, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier this week, a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims flipped over in central Iran, killing 28 passengers and injuring another 23 people.
An unfortunate event occurred as Pakistani devotees, traveling to Iraq for the globally recognized Shia Muslim event known as Arbaeen, were caught up in a tragic accident. Their bus had turned upside down and burst into flames at a security point in Yazd province on a Tuesday night. The bodies of the deceased were flown back home using a Pakistani military plane and have since been put to rest in the province of Sindh.Thousands of Shia Muslims travel to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate the occasion, marking the end of the annual 40-day mourning period after the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, a central figure in the sect of Islam, Al Jazeera reported.
from World – Latest News, Breaking News, LIVE News, Top News Headlines, Viral Video, Cricket LIVE, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Health, Lifestyle and Utility News | India.Com https://ift.tt/SVYG86T
