• Eight passengers injured; overloading seen as possible factor in accident
• Bus falls 80 feet into ravine; rugged terrain hampers rescue efforts
• President, PM express sorrow over loss of lives

QUETTA: Forty people were killed and eight others injured when a Peshawar-bound passenger bus fell into a ravine after leaving the Dhanasar area of Balochistan’s Sherani district and crossing the provincial border into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district on Friday, officials said.

The number of casualties was first shared in a statement by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s aide for media and political affairs, Shahid Rind, who cited initial reports. It was later confirmed by KP Rescue 1122.

Mr Rind said rescue efforts were launched soon after the accident on the directives of the Balochistan chief minister.

“The district administrations from both provinces, rescue and other relevant departments are providing assistance to the affected persons,” the statement said on Friday morning, adding 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 in Zhob, while the bodies were initially shifted to a nearby rural health centre. The bodies were later taken to the Zhob DHQ, the Rescue 1122 statement said. It added that 48 people were aboard the bus when it fell into the ravine.

Sanaullah Sherani, the head of the emergency centre in Zhob, told AFP that the bus fell around 70 to 80 feet into the ravine, and rescue teams faced significant difficulties during the initial phase of the operation due to the rugged mountainous terrain.

Sherani Deputy Commissioner Wali Khan Kakar told Dawn that the bus had left Quetta with 36 passengers, but more people from another broken-down bus boarded it midway.

Mr Rind told AFP that the bus had left Quetta on Thursday evening and became overloaded after picking up extra passengers from another bus.

He said the Balochistan chief minister had ordered an investigation into the causes of the accident.

Later, Mr Rind issued another statement saying the probe had been assigned to the provincial transport secretary.

“A comprehensive report has been sought detailing the accident’s causes and all facts,” the statement said, adding that no negligence in the investigation would be tolerated.

It also said “effective safety measures” would be introduced to prevent such incidents in the future, while the implementation of “necessary reforms” for safe public travel would be ensured.

Condolences

President Asif Ali Zardari 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 them. “The entire nation shares the grief of the affected families after this tragic incident,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident, state-run APP reported.

Balochistan CM Bugti posted a condolence message on X, expressing grief and extending condolences.

He said he had directed the relevant departments to expedite rescue efforts, provide the best medical facilities to the injured and ensure all possible assistance for the affected families. “The Balochistan government is standing with the affected families at this difficult time,” he said.

In his condolence message, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi expressed grief and directed that the injured be provided the best medical facilities while affected families were given all possible assistance.

A statement issued by the KP CM’s Office said he also directed the “relevant teams to remain in contact and cooperate with emergency services in Balochistan”.

“Moreover, ensure that those from KP among the affected are identified and are able to contact their families,” the statement quoted CM Afridi as saying.

He also directed that the bodies of the deceased belonging to Balochistan be taken to their native areas with “full respect”.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said the accident was “extremely tragic” and that he shared the grief of the affected families. In a statement, he also directed that medical facilities be provided to the injured and all possible assistance to the affected families.

Friday’s incident came around two and a half months after a vehicle plunged into a deep ravine in the Nawagai Asbanr area of KP’s Lower Dir, leaving three women dead and two people injured.

Prior to that, a jeep carrying five passengers skidded off a wet, slippery road and plunged into a deep ravine in Upper Chitral on March 31. As a result, three people, including a child, were killed and two others were injured.

With input from AFP

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026