35 Killed, Dozens Injured in Two Separate Bus Accidents in Pakistan

On Sunday, two tragic bus accidents in Pakistan resulted in the loss of at least 35 lives, with many more people sustaining injuries, according to officials.

The first accident involved a bus filled with Shiite Muslim pilgrims who were returning from Iraq, having passed through Iran. The vehicle plunged off the highway into a ravine in southwest Pakistan, causing at least 12 fatalities and leaving 32 others injured. According to local police chief Qazi Sabir, the driver lost control on the Makran coastal highway due to brake failure while navigating through the Lasbela district of Baluchistan province.

Authorities in Baluchistan have reported that arrangements are being made to repatriate the bodies of deceased pilgrims to Punjab province for burial. Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Punjab, extended her condolences following the devastating accident.

Just hours later, a second bus accident occurred in the Kahuta district of eastern Punjab province, resulting in 23 deaths, including two women and a child. Additionally, at least seven individuals were reported injured in this incident.

This bus was en route to the Pakistan-administered disputed region of Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan. Sardar Waheed, a senior government official, noted that the bus fell from the Panna Bridge in Kahuta, emphasizing that heavy machinery would be required to extract the wreckage and ensure no passengers were trapped beneath.

In response to these accidents, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both expressed their condolences and sorrow. They called on authorities to provide the highest standard of medical care for the injured pilgrims.

The incidents occurred just days after another devastating bus crash in neighboring Iran, where 28 Pakistani pilgrims lost their lives while traveling to Iraq. The victims’ bodies were transported back to Pakistan by military plane for burial in Sindh province.

During the Arbaeen pilgrimage, thousands of Shiite Muslims travel to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, who is recognized as a symbol of resistance during the troubled early years of Islam.

Bus accidents are not uncommon in Pakistan, often attributed to driver negligence and the frequent violation of traffic regulations.