At least 14 people were killed and 64 injured on Sunday night after a bus fell into a ravine near Kallar Kahar in Chakwal District of Pakistan’s Punjab.
Officials said that 12 passengers passed away at the spot while two others expired at the hospital, Dawn reported.
The injured persons have been taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital of the Punjab district.
Chakwal Deputy Commissioner Quratulain Malik said that the people on the bus were going back after a wedding to Lahore from Islamabad.
اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی راجہ پرویز اشرف اور ڈپٹی اسپیکر زاہد اکرم درانی کا کلر کہار میں بس کو پیش آنے والے المناک حادثے پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار۔ حادثے کے نتیجے میں درجن سے زائد ہلاکتوں اور پچاس سے زائد زخمی ہونے کی اطلاعات انتہائی تکلیف دہ ہیں_ اسپیکر اور ڈپٹی اسپیکر pic.twitter.com/JgkwIjCVlf
— National Assembly of 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) February 19, 2023
“The vehicle was passing through a curved patch of the Islamabad-Lahore motorway when its brakes failed and the bus smashed into two cars coming from the opposite side,” Quratulain Malik told Dawn.
She added that six passengers received critical injuries and were rushed to Rawalpindi.
A rescuer said the bus was damaged to such an extent that they had to cut it to take out the injured person and the dead bodies.
The accident occurred on the dangerous patch of the motorway which passed through the hilly area of Salt Range near Kallar Kahar.
“Most accidents occur on this patch as it is curvy and sloppy,” a police official reportedly said, adding that drivers not accustomed to Islamabad-Lahore Motorway were prone to meet such fatal mishaps.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow and condoled the bereaved families of the deceased after the accident.
He also directed the authorities to provide medical facilities to the injured people and prayed for their speedy recovery.
Read all the Latest News here