PESHAWAR: At least 20 passengers were killed and 21 others injured when a bus skidded off the strategic Karakoram Highway in Pakistan and plunged into a ravine on Friday, police said.
The incident occurred in the mountainous terrain around 5:30 am in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district when the bus was on its way from Rawalpindi to Gilgit, a police official said.
The driver lost control of the vehicle which then overturned and landed near the banks of the Indus River which runs along the highway, the official said.
There were 43 passengers aboard the bus when the accident took place, the official said.
The injured were moved to the Chilas hospital. Rescue efforts were assisted by army helicopters.
The dead and injured were shifted to the hospital.
The process for the identification of the dead was on, the official said.
He said the death toll was expected to rise further as many of the injured were in critical condition. Three women were also among the dead, the official said.
The local ulema announced the news of the accident from the mosque's loudspeaker and urged people to donate blood for the injured, the police official said.
Diamer Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Ahmed told Geo News that the condition of at least five injured passengers is serious while two others have been shifted to Gilgit City.
Gilgit Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan expressed condolences over the incident and directed the administration to provide immediate medical aid to the injured.
Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said an emergency was declared at the Chilas Hospital after the accident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief at the loss of lives and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families. He instructed authorities to provide the injured with every possible medical treatment.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed grief and conveyed his condolences to the victims' families.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed his condolences on the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan and most of them are caused due to over-speeding by untrained drivers.