Road tragedy: 16 killed as van falls into ravine

Some of the injured passengers in critical condition.

QUETTA:

At least 16 people, including five children and a woman, were killed and eight others were injured when a passenger van plunged into a ravine at the Khojak Pass near Chaman on Monday, Levies officials said.

According to the Balochistan Levies Force, the van, carrying 24 passengers, was on its way to Quetta from Chaman, a border township with Afghanistan. On reaching the Khojak Pass, the van attempted cross a container; however, the driver lost control over the vehicle due to which it fell into the 100-feet deep ravine.

Fourteen passengers were killed on the spot, while others received serious injuries.

“The van has a seating capacity of 18 passengers, yet 24 passengers were aboard. Some were even travelling on the van’s roof,” an eyewitness told The Express Tribune.

A rescue operation began after two hours because the accident site is in a narrow mountainous area and as a result traffic was heavy.

The deceased and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital in Chaman, where two people succumbed to their injuries. Some of the injured passengers are stated to be in critical condition, hospital sources said.

“We have been able to identify only two of the passengers,” a local Levies official said. The van driver and his brother were also killed in the accident.

Officials said that the highway between Quetta and Chaman is in disrepair because of which accidents on this route are common.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2011.