40 killed as bus plunges into ravine in Pakistan

A bus veered off a road and fell more than 20 metres into a ravine in western Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 40 people, officials said. "A passenger bus travelling from Quetta to Peshawar plunged into a deep ravine in the mountainous Dana Sar area... 40 people have been confirmed dead and 11 others injured," said Sanaullah Sherani, the head of Zhob district's emergency centre.

Sherani said the injured passengers had been taken to hospital, three of them in critical condition. "The bus fell approximately 70 to 80 feet (21 to 24 metres) into the ravine," Sherani added. "As the accident occurred in a rugged mountainous area, rescue teams faced significant difficulties during the initial phase of the operation," he said.

Shahid Rind, the spokesperson for the southwestern province of Balochistan's chief minister, also said the bus had been travelling from the provincial capital Quetta to the city of Peshawar in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Rescue teams from both provinces were at the scene, he added. Road accidents are common in Pakistan due to weak enforcement of traffic laws, speeding, poor road safety standards and reckless driving.