At least 20 dead and 21 injured in horror crash after bus plunges into a rocky ravine in Pakistan
AT LEAST 20 people have been killed in a horror bus crash in Pakistan as 21 others are left in hospital receiving urgent treatment.
The bus fatally veered off the road and down a rocky ravine this morning, prompting a huge government rescue mission as army helicopters were flown in to help with the emergency ordeal.
The bus reportedly went off at a narrow mountain road before plunging into a deep valley off the Karakoram Highway.
Thirty eight passengers were on board the bus alongside three others thought to be drivers and guides at the time of the accident.
The horrifying ordeal was declared an emergency in Gilgit-Baltistan as the Chilas hospital was overrun with patients.
The driver lost control of the steering as the bus crashed off the road, local police reported.
read more in Pakistan bus woes
Diamer Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Ahmed said at least five passengers are in a critical condition.
He said: “The accident occurred 20km from Chilas city.
"The bus crashed either due to overspeeding or while negotiating a turn."
At least three women are among those killed, says the Director of the health in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Most read in The Sun
Army helicopters were flown in as part of the recovery and rescue operations as those injured were airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Officials and local helpers can be seen scrambling on their hands and knees trying to find anyone still alive in harrowing pictures.
Government spokesman, Faizullah Firaq, told Reuters: "The bus was passing through Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan when it fell into a deep ravine."
Shocking pictures show the large passenger bus upside down at the bottom of a cliff.
The roof of the motor has been ripped off as it cascaded down the rocky ravine and can be seen teetering on the rocks above.
Bus seats were also thrown from their fixed positions due to the force of the accident and had ended up being littered on the sand.
Deputy Commissioner Ahmed continued saying he is in contact with the victims’ families and that the rescue operations have now finished.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif gave his condolences to the families affected.
He also prayed for those injured to have a swift recovery.
The Karakoram Highway connects Pakistan with China.
Bus journeys along the highway is often a popular way for tourists to reach a number of destinations such as Hunza.
PAKISTAN'S TRANSPORT HORRORS
Pakistan has a long and dark history with public transport with crashes and train derailments being common in the country.
Last year, at least 30 people died and 100 were left injured after a train derailed near the Sarhari station when eight carriages came off the tracks.
Eighteen others were were killed when a bus smashed into a truck carrying petrol tanks - resulting in a huge fireball back in August 2023.
The bus was carrying 33 passengers when it smashed into the other vehicle in Pakistan.
More than in January after a bus fell into a ravine and caught fire in the southern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Sunday.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
In June 2021, two trains collided near Daharki in Sindh, killing at least 65 people and injuring about 150 others.
In October 2019, at least 75 passengers burnt to death in a fire on the Tezgam express train, and a two-train crash at Ghotki killed more than 100 people in 2005.
