ISLAMABAD: At least 27 passengers died and 67 others injured when a speeding bus fell into a ravine in Pakistan’s Punjab province, police said on Thursday.
The accident occurred on Wednesday night on the Pindigheb-Talagang Road near Chakwal city.
The bus was carrying more than 90 passengers, most of them were members of Tableeghi Jamaat — a global Sunni Muslim movement headed for the annual congregation near Lahore, capital of Punjab.
“The bus was on its way to Raiwind from Kohat and the passengers were going to attend an annual religious congregation,” a senior police official told Dawn news.
According to health authorities, 13 injured were in critical condition.
The official said the driver had little experience and could not control the bus while making a sharp turn in high speed.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif offered his condolences to the victims.
According to official data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, around 9,000 road accidents are reported every year since 2011, killing more than 4,500 people on an average annually.
IANS inputs