Rescue workers operate at the site where an intercity bus fell into a ravine beside the Dana Sar highway in Pakistan on Friday (local time). [Xinhua]
Rescue workers operate at the site where an intercity bus fell into a ravine beside the Dana Sar highway in Pakistan on Friday (local time). [Xinhua]

A bus traveling along a highway in Pakistan plunged into a ravine 25 meters below, killing 40 people and injuring eight others.

The intercity bus fell into the ravine Friday on the Dana Sar highway, a remote stretch near the border between the southwestern province of Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to foreign media reports Saturday.

The Balochistan provincial government said 40 people aboard the bus were killed and eight were injured.

The bus had departed from Quetta in Balochistan on Thursday and was heading to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government, said the bus was overloaded at the time of the accident, carrying its original passengers along with those from a separate bus that had broken down.

One injured survivor told local media that some passengers objected when the driver stopped to pick up the stranded travelers, and an argument broke out. "One passenger grabbed the driver by the neck, and shortly after, the bus lost control and fell into the ravine," the survivor said.

However, AP reported that local police had not yet verified the account and that an investigation was underway.

After news of the accident spread, hospitals and police stations were flooded with calls from people trying to confirm whether their family members had survived.

Rescue workers struggled to reach the scene, having to descend a steep hillside to the ravine 25 meters below.

Most of the victims were identified through their national identity cards, though the identities of three bodies have yet to be confirmed.

Traffic accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor road conditions and lax enforcement of traffic laws. Crashes in mountainous regions are particularly deadly when overloading or reckless driving is involved.

In May 2024, a passenger bus traveling along a highway in a mountainous area of southwestern Pakistan plunged into a ravine in the early morning hours, killing at least 28 people.


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