QUETTA: Five people were killed and 20 others including the driver were injured when a passenger coach fell into a roadside ravine along the Zhob-Islamabad highway near Dhanasar area of Sherani district of Balochistan, on Saturday.

The passenger coach was on its way to Quetta from Islamabad via Dera Ismail Khan when the incident occurred.

The coach reached the Dhanasar area. The driver lost control of the bus and it fell into the deep ravine.

“Five passengers who were travelling in the coach have lost their lives while 20 others injured in the accident,” Sherani Deputy Commissioner Sana Mahjabeen Umrani said.

Passenger coach from Islamabad fell into ravine due to speeding, officials say

She said that rescue teams along with Levies and police officials soon after receiving information about the incident rushed to the site and recovered the bodies and injured from the coach. The bodies and injured were shifted to Zhob district hospital, she added.

The condition of at least six people were stated to be serious. They were shifted to trauma centre of Civil Hospital in Quetta for treatment. Officials identified speeding as the cause for that the tragedy.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti expressed sorrow over the accident near Dhanasar and said the loss of precious human lives in the traffic accident was distressing.

He said an investigation was underway, and if negligence was proven, action would be taken against the bus company.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2024