20 perish as bus plunges into ravine

QUETTA: At least 20 passengers were killed and 10 others injured when a Quetta-bound bus fell into a ravine in Shirani district of Balochistan on Sunday, said the police.

The police said that the death toll in the accident rose to 20 after one more injured succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. According to rescue officials, the passenger bus was heading to Quetta from Rawalpindi when it plunged into a deep ravine near Danasar area of Shirani district. Television footage showed rescue workers assisting bloodied passengers, while in another scene, the wreckage could be seen.

Police shifted the bodies and injured to hospitals in Zhob and Mughal Kot. President Arif Alvi expressed profound grief on the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident and prayed for departed souls. Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the Balochistan bus accident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed to provide immediate and the best medical care to the injured.

Balochistan Chief Minister Quddus Bizenjo expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident. He ordered the authorities to impose a state of emergency in Zhob’s hospitals and provide the best medical facilities to the injured.

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident and extended his sympathy to the families of victims. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan prayed for the early recovery of the injured.