At least 40 passengers lost their lives and several others were injured on Friday when a coach travelling from Quetta to Peshawar fell into a deep ravine in the Dana Sar area between Zhob and Dera Ismail Khan, officials said.
Police stated that the vehicle went off the road in the mountainous stretch of Dana Sar, a difficult terrain region where rescue access is limited.
Deputy Commissioner Sherani Wali Kakar said rescue teams were still working at the site to evacuate survivors despite challenging conditions.
He said the injured were being given first aid on the spot before being transferred to nearby medical facilities. The district administration, he added, was overseeing relief and rescue efforts closely.
Authorities noted that the death toll may change as operations continue and more information becomes available about passengers trapped at the scene.
Health officials confirmed that emergency measures had been put in place at hospitals across Balochistan to handle the influx of injured victims.
A statement from Rescue 1122 said that emergency teams from Zhob reached the accident site quickly after getting the news and started helping the victims.
Eight injured people were taken to the main hospital in Zhob. The bodies of those who died were first taken to a local health center and later moved to the same hospital. Rescue 1122 said there were 48 passengers on the bus when it fell into the deep ditch.
Sanaullah Sherani, who runs the emergency center in Zhob, told AFP that the bus fell about 70 to 80 feet. He said rescue teams had a hard time at first because the area was rocky and mountainous.
The Deputy Commissioner of Zhob, Wali Khan Kakar, told Dawn that the bus left Quetta with 36 passengers, but more people got on from another bus that had broken down along the way.
Another official, Rind, told AFP that the bus left Quetta on Thursday evening. Because it picked up extra passengers, it became too full.
The Balochistan chief minister ordered an investigation to find out what caused the accident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident.وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا بلوچستان اور خیبرپختونخوا کے سرحدی علاقے شیرانی دانہ سر میں بس حادثے میں قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر اظہار افسوس وزیراعظم کا اس المناک حادثے میں جاں بحق ہونے والے افراد کی بلندی ء درجات کی دعاء#PMShehbazSharif #Condolences #LatestNews pic.twitter.com/YDvjjwZHXj
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President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief and extended condolences to the victims’ families.
