Taking a long distance bus ride anywhere in the world requires a bit of patience, but travelling on rural mountain roads in Pakistan seems to demand a total disregard for basic survival instincts. At least 32 people lost their lives and 16 others suffered serious injuries when an overcrowded passenger bus plunged off a cliff into a deep ravine in south western Pakistan.
Double the Passengers, Half the Safety
The journey began in Quetta with a scheduled trip to Peshawar. However, trouble started brewing long before the bus reached the Dana Sar mountain range along the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. According to reports confirmed by QtrlyEdition, the driver decided to pick up stranded passengers from another bus that had broken down along the route. Taking on a second vehicle’s worth of travellers instantly turned an already packed bus into a rolling hazard.
By 8:00 AM local time, disaster struck. Preliminary reports suggest the steering mechanism suddenly failed on a tight mountain bend. The driver lost complete control, sending the overloaded vehicle skidding 80 feet down a sheer rock face to the bottom of the gorge. Photos from the scene show little more than a twisted metal shell surrounded by scattered luggage.
The Standard Official Reaction
Emergency crews deployed dozens of ambulances to the remote area, though the rugged terrain made recovery efforts an absolute nightmare. First responders transported 48 victims, including women and children, to Zhob District Headquarters Hospital for treatment and identification.
Naturally, top politicians rushed to issue their standard social media statements. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and local provincial leaders all expressed deep sorrow while ordering formal inquiries into the tragedy. Yet regular commuters know the drill all too well. Poorly maintained vehicles, overloaded passenger cabins, and crumbling roads cause horrific fatal crashes in the region almost daily. Inquiries happen, politicians tweet their condolences, and broken transit systems carry on as normal until the next mountain disaster hits the headlines.
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Related Topics: Asia
