QUETTA, Pakistan, May 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - At least 29 people were killed on
Wednesday when a bus plunged off the road into a deep ravine in southwestern
Pakistan, hospital and government officials said.

The crash happened around dawn in Basima town in Balochistan province while
the bus was travelling from Turbat city to Quetta.

"The driver was navigating a turn in a mountainous area when the vehicle lost
control and fell into a ravine," Ismail Mengal, a local government official
said, giving a toll of 29 dead.

"We are still investigating the cause of the incident. It could be that the
driver fell asleep or was speeding, which led to the accident."

The driver died from injuries in the hospital, and more than 20 others were
injured.

Noor Ullah, chief doctor at Civil Hospital Basima, told AFP that 29 bodies
were taken there, including three women and two children.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has "expressed deep sorrow and grief over the
tragic traffic accident", his office said in a statement.

Road accidents with high fatalities are common in Pakistan, where safety
measures are lax, driver training is poor and transport infrastructure often
decrepit.

At least 17 pilgrims were killed and 41 injured in a crash in April as they
travelled to a shrine in Balochistan's Hub district.

In January last year, 41 people were killed when their bus, which was also
loaded with containers of flammable oil, careered off the road into a valley
and burst into flames.