Pakistan bus crash: 40 dead after bus crashes and catches fire in Lasbela

The bus crashed in the Lasbela district in Pakistan
By Matthew Mohan-Hickson
29th Jan 2023, 9:00am
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A passenger bus fell into a ravine and caught fire in southern Pakistan killing 40 people, a government official said.

The bus was carrying 44 passengers from Quetta in Balochistan province to Karachi in neighbouring Sindh province on Sunday (29 January). The accident happened near the town of Bela, in Lasbela district.

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Hamza Anjum Nadeem, assistant commissioner in Bela, said the bodies of 40 people, including women and children, were recovered. Four injured passengers were rescued. “The accident happened due to over-speeding and the bus crashed into the pillar of a bridge. It caught fire soon after falling into the ravine,” he said.

Residents look at the wreckage of a burnt passenger bus in Lasbela district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province on January 29, 2023. (Photo by ISMAIL SASOLI/AFP via Getty Images)Residents look at the wreckage of a burnt passenger bus in Lasbela district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province on January 29, 2023. (Photo by ISMAIL SASOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Residents look at the wreckage of a burnt passenger bus in Lasbela district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province on January 29, 2023. (Photo by ISMAIL SASOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

He said the bodies were charred beyond recognition and were being taken to Karachi for DNA sampling. After identification, they will be handed over to the victims’ relatives. Firefighters and workers from the Lasbela Welfare Trust and the Edhi Welfare Foundation carried out the rescue operation.

The chief minister of Balochistan, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, expressed his sorrow for the loss of life and ordered authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured. Road accidents in Pakistan generally happen due to violation of traffic rules, resulting in the deaths of thousands every year.

More to follow.

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