10 killed as passenger bus, van collide in Balochistan’s Lasbela

LASBELA: At least 10 people, including three women, were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus collided with a van near Zero Point in Uthal, Lasbela district in Balochistan, police said on Friday.

The bus was travelling from Gwadar to Karachi, while the van was heading from Karachi towards Bela when the two vehicles collided, according to police.

The deceased included seven men and three women. The injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Uthal for medical treatment, police said. The identity of the victims and the injured could not be ascertained immediately.

Police attributed the accident to speeding, according to initial reports.

The crash adds to a series of deadly road accidents reported in Balochistan.

On October 11, seven people were killed and more than 30 injured when a truck collided with a passenger van near Zimindar Hotel in the Mach area of Bolan district.

On July 3, 40 people were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus crashed in the Dhana Sar area of Sherani district.

Shahid Rind, who was serving as a special assistant at the time, said the bus had also taken on passengers from another vehicle that had broken down, leaving it overcrowded.

A survivor of the Dhana Sar crash said the driver had loaded diesel onto the bus without informing passengers. The fuel was subsequently unloaded at the last Frontier Corps checkpoint in Balochistan, he said.

The survivor added that an argument had broken out between passengers and the driver after they learned about the diesel. The bus crashed shortly afterwards, and he regained consciousness to find injured passengers and bodies scattered around him. Women and children were also aboard the bus.