At least 11 people lost their lives and 35 others were injured on Sunday when a bus overturned on the Makran coastal highway and plunged into a ditch, reported Dawn News citing police.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lasbela Capt. Naveed Alam informed that the bus, which was carrying pilgrims from Iran to Punjab, overturned near Buzzi Top after the driver lost control due to speeding.
Alam stated that four passengers were trapped inside the bus, and a crane was deployed to for the rescue.
Hakeem Lassi, the Edhi in-charge for Lasbela, mentioned that the deceased and injured were from Lahore and Gujranwala. He added that the army, Rescue 1122, and Edhi teams were carrying out the rescue operation, and the injured had been transferred to the civil hospital.
One of the injured passengers, Ali Hassan from Gujranwala, said that the bus was carrying around 60 passengers, Dawn reported.
District Commissioner (DC) Hub Rohana Gul Kakar noted that five of the injured were taken to Jam Ghulam Qadir Hospital in Hub, where they received first aid before being transferred to Karachi. She also mentioned that one body was brought to the Rural Health Centre in Winder.
Mir Ali Hassan Zehri, an adviser on commerce and industries to Balochistan’s Chief Minister, stated that an emergency had been declared in hospitals in Hub to treat the injured. He also said that the Sindh government and health department authorities had been contacted to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
A travel ban has been imposed on the movement of pilgrims from Iran’s Gabad to Gwadar for their safety, according to Gwadar DC Hamoodur Rehman in a statement issued by the district administration. The statement also mentioned that Iran has banned the entry of pilgrims, urging them to avoid any travel at this time. This measure is intended to improve travel conditions for pilgrims, according to Dawn News.
Earlier, 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed, and 23 others injured when their bus crashed in Iran’s Yazd city, confirmed Pakistan’s envoy to Tehran. Iran’s Mehr Agency reported that the bus overturned at the Dehshir-Taftan checkpoint in Yazd on Tuesday night and subsequently caught fire.