40 killed, 8 injured as passenger bus falls into ravine near Balochistan-KP border

QUETTA: Forty people were killed and eight others injured when a Peshawar-bound passenger bus fell into a ravine just as it left the Dhanasar area of Balochistan’s Sherani district and crossed the provincial border into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Friday, officials said. The number of casualties was first shared in a statement by the Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, Shahid Rind, who cited initial reports. It was later also confirmed by the KP Rescue 112. Rind’s statement said rescue efforts were initiated soon after the accident on Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s directives. “The district administrations from both provinces, rescue and other relevant departments are providing assistance to the affected persons,” the statement said on Friday morning. The statement added that the incident would be investigated to bring the facts to light. A statement by KP Rescue 1122 said teams from Zhob emergency services and Rescue 1122 reached the site soon after receiving information about the accident and carried out rescue efforts. The eight injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in Zhob, while the bodies were initially taken to a nearby rural health centre. The bodies were later taken to Zhob DHQ, the Rescue 1122 statement said. It added that 48 passengers were aboard the bus when it fell into the ravine. Sherani Deputy Commissioner (DC) Wali Khan Kakar told Dawn that the bus left Quetta with 36 passengers, but more people from another broken-down bus boarded it midway. Condolences Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident, state-run APP reported. President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief and extended condolences to the victims’ families. According to the Presidency, he prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and directed the relevant departments to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the injured. “The entire natio