Two people were killed and 36 others injured when a passenger bus bound for Rawalpindi fell into a ravine in Upper Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday evening, according to a rescue official.
Abdur Rehman, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, reported that the bus, operated by a private company, was carrying 38 passengers from Skardu when the accident occurred near the Shetial area in Harban tehsil.
The deceased have been identified as Sadaqat Hussain, the bus driver from Dinor in Gilgit, and Mohammad Nadeem, a passenger from Vehari, Punjab. Rehman informed that the injured were promptly transported to the district headquarters hospital in Chilas, Diamer.
Most of the injured passengers were from Skardu, with additional individuals hailing from the Bisham Dandai area of Shangla and parts of Punjab.
While some patients are in critical condition and undergoing surgeries, others are reported to be stable. Among the injured were women and children, highlighting the tragic impact of the accident.
Accidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern areas are frequent due to a combination of rugged terrain, poorly maintained roads, overloaded vehicles, and lax traffic regulations. The narrow, winding routes, harsh weather conditions, and driver fatigue contribute to the high risk of accidents in these regions.
In a related incident, a landslide in September resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including two army personnel, after a Hunza-bound bus was struck by falling boulders on the Karakoram Highway in the same area.
Upper Kohistan District Police Officer Mukhtiar Ahmad reported that the deceased were from Gilgit-Baltistan and Rawalpindi, and that the bodies and injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Dasu. These incidents underscore the pressing need for improved road safety measures in the region.
