At least 25 killed as bus falls into ravine in Azad Kashmir

A passenger bus en route from Kahuta to Rawalpindi crashed into a deep ravine on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 individuals, rescue officials said.

The accident occurred near the town of Azad Pattan on the border between Punjab province and Azad Kashmir.

“The deceased include 20 men, 4 women, and 1 child,” Farooq Ahmed, spokesman for Rescue 1122 in Punjab told Business Recorder.

“I have lost three members of my family,” Tara Zafar, who travelled to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital in the town of Kahuta after hearing about the accident, told AFP.

Her father, sister, and one-year-old nephew were among the dead.

“I hoped that at least one of them had survived. It’s doomsday for my family.”

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the bus accident.

The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to provide immediate medical aid to the injured.

Earlier on Sunday, twelve people were killed and at least thirty injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from Iran crashed on the Makran Coastal Highway near Lasbela, Balochistan.

Bodies of 28 pilgrims killed in Iran arrive in Pakistan

The accident took place on the highway close to Buzi Top, according to the police.

The bus, carrying pilgrims returning from Iran, tragically veered off the road and into a ravine after the driver lost control of the brakes due to excessive speed.