Twin Pakistani road accident kills 51

At least 51 people were murdered on Sunday when a bus drove off a bridge and a boat carrying a classroom of children collapsed in western Pakistan.

At least 10 students perished in the watercraft tragedy in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while 41 people were killed when their bus plunged into a gorge in the southern region of Balochistan.

Local police have reported that as many as nine people remain missing in the sea, despite a current rescue attempt. Hamza Anjum, a top administration official, reported that “the lifeless bodies… are beyond recognition” at the accident scene north of the city of Bela in the Lasbela region.

Anjum said that 40 bodies were recovered from the crash site, and another three people were wounded; one of them later succumbed to his injuries. The two surviving survivors were described as being in “severe” shape.

On Sunday morning, the bus slammed into a bridge post, sending its 48 occupants careening in the wrong direction. The vehicle had spent the night on the road between Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, and Karachi, the southern port city.

The driver “may have fallen asleep,” Anjum added, adding that he may have been speeding on the lengthy journey. While DNA testing will be used to identify the “badly disfigured” remains, he promised an investigation into the circumstances of the catastrophe.

“Rescue Attempting” Local police officer Mir Rauf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told AFP that all the bodies pulled from the lake so far belonged to children between the ages of seven and fourteen.

He said that 11 additional kids had been rescued, and six of them were in severe condition. There may be as many as nine more missing students from the madrassa class who went on a day excursion to the beautiful site. “A rescue mission is underway,” Rauf told AFP.

Pakistan’s terrible road safety record is the result of shabby motorways, insufficient safety measures, and irresponsible driving. High fatality rates from single-vehicle accidents are not uncommon due to overcrowded passenger buses and the lack of seatbelt usage.

In November, a minibus carrying 20 passengers, including 11 children, plunged into a deep and waterlogged ravine in southern Pakistan, killing everyone on board.

More than 27,000 people died in traffic accidents in Pakistan in 2018, according to the World Health Organization. When old and overcrowded boats capsize, they often throw their passengers overboard, which is a leading cause of accidental deaths in Pakistan.