QUETTA: At least eighteen passengers were killed and nine others injured when a van plunged into a gorge in Qilla Saifullah district of Balochistan.
According to the deputy commissioner, the ill-fated passenger van was heading to Zhob from Loralai when it overturned near Akhtarzai due to speeding and plunged hundreds of feet into a ravine.
On getting information, rescue teams rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and injured to a nearby hospital. There was no immediate word on their identities.
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According to rescue sources, women and children were among those killed in the accident. The rescue operation was underway to retrieve the bodies from the gorge.
On March 28, at least seven people died while eight others injured when a van they were travelling in plunged into a ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Upper Dir district.
President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a traffic accident that took place in Qila Saifullah area of Balochistan.
The president prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude.
He also prayed for the early recovery of injured persons and directed the authorities concerned to provide them best possible medical facilities. The president also emphasized the measures to prevent such traffic accidents in the future.