At least 40 people have died after an overcrowded passenger bus careered off a highway and plunged into a rocky ravine in southwestern Pakistan, officials said.
The vehicle was travelling from Quetta to Islamabad on Friday when it lost control and crashed into the ravine in Dana Sar, a remote area near the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said the bus was carrying not only its own passengers but also those from another bus that had broken down, leaving the vehicle severely overcrowded with 48 people on board.
“At least 40 people died when an overcrowded bus carrying stranded passengers plunged into a ravine in southwestern Pakistan.”
“The bus went out of control and fell into the ravine,” Rind said. Rescuers raced to the scene and pulled survivors from the wreckage. Eight people were injured, some critically, and emergency workers were working to identify the dead and ensure the injured received treatment.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed grief over the loss of life and ordered authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured.
The crash is the latest in a series of deadly road accidents in Pakistan, where poor road conditions, inadequate enforcement of traffic laws and unsafe driving practices – particularly in mountainous areas – contribute to frequent tragedies. In May, a minibus rammed into a parked bus in northwest Pakistan, killing 17 people. In October 2024, a wedding bus plunged into a ravine in the same province, killing seven and injuring 37. The following month, two separate bus accidents – one in Balochistan and another in Punjab – killed 32 people; authorities said both were caused by driver negligence. Earlier in 2024, 28 Pakistani pilgrims died when their bus crashed in neighbouring Iran.
Friday’s death toll of 40 may rise as rescue teams continue their work in the remote ravine at Dana Sar.