13 lives lost as buses crash in Balochistan

At least 13 people, among them women and children, lost their lives, and scores were injured in two separate road accidents in Balochistan, police and rescue officials said on Thursday.

Local authorities reported that six people lost their lives and 17 others were seriously injured when a passenger coach rammed into an oncoming truck near Zero Point in Lasbela's Uthal.

As per the first responders from Edhi rescue service, seven travellers died and 16 were hurt after a coach crashed in Hub-Winder.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lasbela Atif Amir, the crash brought the traffic on the national highway to a standstill, with rescuers and other officials racing against time to clear the road and assist the victims.

The police official later confirmed that rescue operations at the site have now been completed and traffic on the highway has resumed.

On the other hand, the injured of the Hub-Winder accident, including women and children, were shifted to Civil Hospital Trauma Centre in Karachi for treatment, an Edhi spokesperson said.

Last year, on August 25, a bus carrying pilgrims plunged into a ditch on the Makran Coastal Highway, leaving 11 people dead and over 30 others injured.

Authorities said the bus, travelling from Punjab to Iran, suffered a brake failure. Rescue operations were carried out by levies and police and the victims’ bodies were later repatriated.

It was the second major bus accident due to brake failure in one week.

In the previous fatal incident, 28 pilgrims, heading to participate in Arbaeen, lost their lives when a bus carrying them crashed into a wall and overturned due to speeding and brake failure near the Taftan-Dehshir checkpoint in Iran's Yazd city.

Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.