GUJAR KHAN, June 2: At least 43 people were killed and 10 others injured when a bus fell into a ravine near Dina, some 20km from Jhelum, on Sunday morning.

Sources said that when the Rawalpindi-bound luxury coach (GTB-9535) reached Bakrala Bridge, it hit the fence and fell into ravine at about 5.20am.

According to Superintendent of Police, Jhelum, Saleem Bhatti, there were 53 passengers in the bus. He said 40 passengers died on the spot, while three more died on way to hospital.

The area people with the help of cranes and dumpers straightened the twisted bus and removed bodies from the wreckage. The bodies and the injured were shifted to the DHQ hospital, Jhelum.

The district police officer told Dawn that passengers belonged to different areas of Punjab, including Gujranwala, Khushab and Lahore.

He said so far 32 bodies had been identified, while efforts were being made to ascertain the identity of the remaining bodies. He said out of eleven unidentified bodies, six had been handed over to Mayo Hospital and four to Services Hospital.

Three of the injured have been referred to the DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi, six have been admitted to DHQ Hospital Jhelum, while an injured armyman has been shifted to Combined Military Hospital Mangla, the district police officer added.

Governor Khalid Maqbool also telephoned the DCO Jhelum and expressed shock over loss of lives. He directed the district administration to extend full cooperation to the victims of the accident.