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Rescue workers and residents in front of the wreck of the minibus: The cause of the accident was initially unknown
Photo: - / AFP
At least 22 passengers, including children, died in a bus accident in south-west Pakistan on Wednesday.
The bus went off a narrow mountain road in Qilla Saifullah district of Balochistan province and fell into a ravine, a government official told the AP news agency.
Deputy District Administrator Mohammad Qasim said rescue workers took the bodies to a nearby hospital after recovering them from the badly damaged wreckage of the bus.
Four children between the ages of three and nine were among the dead, a government official told AFP.
The sole survivor, a 13-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The bus went too fast
The exact cause of the accident was initially unknown.
Authorities stated that the weather was fine at the time of the accident.
Police are investigating possible mechanical problems and human error as the bus appeared to be speeding when it lost control and crashed into a ravine, according to witnesses.
An eyewitness told the AP that he was riding a motorcycle on the same road when he saw a small bus going very fast, skidded, and then, on a curve, crashed through the protective wall and went down a ravine.
Similar traffic accidents in Pakistan are not uncommon
Pakistani President Arif Alvi and other government officials expressed their sadness at the tragic accident.
Fatal road accidents like this are common in Pakistan due to poor road infrastructure, disregard for traffic rules and poorly maintained vehicles.
In July last year, a packed bus carrying mostly workers heading home for a major Muslim holiday rammed a container truck on a busy highway in central Pakistan, killing at least 33 people.
czl/AP/AFP
