QUETTA: At least 13 passengers, including women and children, were killed while dozens of others sustained serious injuries in two separate road accidents in Balochistan, police and rescue officials confirmed on Thursday.
In the first incident, a passenger coach collided with a truck near Zero Point in Lasbela’s Uthal area, leaving six people dead and 17 others critically injured.
Hours later, another crash occurred in the Hub-Winder area where a passenger coach overturned, killing seven travellers and injuring 16 more, according to Edhi rescue service officials.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lasbela Atif Amir said the Hub-Winder accident brought traffic on the national highway to a standstill as rescuers and officials rushed to clear the road and assist the victims. He later confirmed that the rescue operation was completed and traffic had resumed.
An Edhi spokesperson added that the injured from the Hub-Winder crash — including women and children — were shifted to Karachi’s Civil Hospital Trauma Centre for treatment.
Deadly road accidents are a frequent occurrence in Pakistan. Last year, on August 25, 11 people were killed and more than 30 injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from Punjab to Iran plunged into a ditch on the Makran Coastal Highway due to brake failure.
That tragedy came just days after another fatal crash in Iran’s Yazd city, where 28 pilgrims travelling for Arbaeen died when their bus overturned after hitting a wall.
Experts and officials often blame such high-casualty incidents on speeding, poorly maintained vehicles, weak enforcement of traffic rules, and the poor condition of roads in rural areas.