Islamabad, Pakistan – At least 28 people have been killed in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan after a bus they were travelling in fell into a ravine, officials say.
The bus from Turbat city in southern Balochistan was headed towards the provincial capital of Quetta, about 750km (466 miles) to the north, when it crashed in the mountainous region early on Wednesday morning.
Noorullah Essazai, a government health official in Washuk district where the incident happened, confirmed the number of deaths to Al Jazeera, adding that a total of 54 passengers were travelling in the bus.
Some of the survivors have sustained serious injuries, he said, and are being treated at a local hospital.
“We have eight to 10 critically injured patients and are making arrangements to send them to Quetta by helicopter while some others will be shifted to a hospital in Khuzdar,” said Essazai, referring to a town 120km (75 miles) away.
Muhammad Ismail, a government official in Washuk, said the bus crashed through a bridge and fell into a rocky ravine. The bus driver is among the dead.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the incident and directed the authorities to help the injured.
“We stand with the bereaved families in this difficult time and express our heartfelt sympathies with them,” said the statement issued by the prime minister’s office.
In another statement, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti expressed his sadness at the loss of lives.
“We share the grief of the families who lost their loved ones. We will provide medical facilities at the earliest to those injured in the accident,” said the statement.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly in its mountainous regions in Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier this month, at least 20 people were killed and dozens of others wounded when a passenger bus fell off a ravine in the country’s northern area of Gilgit-Baltistan.
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