Daily Times

The death toll of the ghastly bus accident in Lasbela has reportedly risen to 41 as the said number of bodies were recovered from the ill-fated bus that careened into a ravine near Chinki stop in the Bela area of Lasbela district on Sunday morning.

Apart from the deaths, three people were taken out of the bus alive, but injured by the completion of a rescue operation at the site of the accident. The passenger bus with at least 44 on board was on its way to Karachi from Quetta when it fell into a ravine and caught fire in the early hours of Sunday.

Bela Assistant Commissioner Hamza Anjum Nadeem said that the rescue operation had been completed. Sharing the number of people on board the bus and casualties, Nadeem said that 40 bodies were taken out of the wrecked bus. He said that the bodies were unidentifiable. He said that DNA testing will be done for the identification of the deceased, while the injured passengers were being shifted to Civil Hospital, Lasbela.

Earlier, Nadeem said that the rescue workers initially faced obstacles as it was dark in the morning due to the cold weather.

Meanwhile, the police said that the accident happened due to speeding as the bus went out of the driver’s control and was careened into the ravine. They said that teams of the fire brigade, rescue services and law-enforcement agencies’ personnel arrived at the site of the accident and launched a rescue operation.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and grief over the lives lost. He offered condolences to the bereaved families and prayer for the victims. The premier directed the authorities concerned to provide the injured with the best medical facilities.

President Arif Alvi also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the high ranks of the departed souls. The president stressed taking practical steps to avert the occurrence of such incidents in the future.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also expressed grief and sorrow over the lives lost in the accident. He directed the district administration to provide the injured passengers with health facilities. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed grief over the tragedy and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, a boat carrying over two dozen sightseers sank in Kohat’s Tanda Dam on Sunday, leaving 10 children dead. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kohat Furqan Ashraf confirmed the tragic incident and said that the boat was carrying as many as 30 people and most of them were children.

The deputy commissioner said the victims came to the dam for recreation. He said divers managed to pull out 10 bodies and rescued eight others. The survivors are under treatment at the District Headquarters Hospital Kohat. A special team of divers from Peshawar also arrived at the spot and took part in search and rescue operation.

Meanwhile, a police official told AFP that 10 children were killed in the incident. He said all of the dead recovered from the lake were between the ages of seven and 14. He said 11 more children had been rescued, with six in critical condition. However, up to nine more remain missing from the madrassa class which was touring the scenic location. Caretaker KP Chief Minister Azam Khan, in a statement, expressed grief over the incident. He directed the district administration and rescue organisations to start a rescue operation on an emergency basis. “All available resources should be utilised for the safe recovery of the persons who drowned in the incident,” he said.