41 burnt to death in Balochistan bus crash

Many bodies burned beyond recognition; victims to be identified through DNA testing

HUB:

At least 41 people were killed after a bus fell into a ravine and burst into flames near the Bela area of Balochistan on Sunday, officials said who feared the toll was likely to rise.

The bus, carrying around 48 people, was on its way from Quetta to Karachi when it hit a pillar on the bridge and careened off course. Officials said women and children were also among those who fell to death in the tragic incident.

A passenger bus toppled down in #bela area of #Balochistan as per assistant comisioner 19 dead bodies have been extracted till now & the rescue operation is underway. Increase of death toll feared . In past such accidents have taken place in vehicles ladden with smuggled fuel pic.twitter.com/uJyCn2DDbK

— Daniyal Butt (@butt_daniyal) January 29, 2023

Assistant Commissioner (AC) Lasbela Hamza Anjum told The Express Tribune the rescue workers have recovered 41 dead bodies from the wreckage, some burned beyond recognition.

An emergency was declared in hospitals to provide medical treatment to the injured, he said and added that rescue workers and police had rushed to the spot soon after the accident. "Most of the passengers were burnt to death", Anjum said.

Dozens of people were combing through the wreckage, footage shared by the Edhi Foundation aid and emergency response organisation showed, and ambulance workers were carrying a dead body out of the debris.

Television footage showed black smoke and flames rising from the debris to the skies.

The charred brown husk of the vehicle chassis smoked on a dry riverbed under the bridge, according to a video released by the provincial government. A team of men used heavy machinery to move the twisted metal aside and pull out the burnt remains.

Head of the local rescue service Asghar Ramazan told AFP the bus had been loaded with containers of oil. “When the bus fell down, it immediately caught fire,” he said. The oil “caused the fire to flare up so much that it was difficult to control”, he added.

“It is feared that the driver may have fallen asleep,” Anjum said, or maybe he had been speeding during the long-distance trip. “We will investigate the causes of the accident,” he said, adding that DNA tests would be needed to determine the identity of the remains, which had been “badly mutilated”.

Alarming

Condolences poured in from several key government figures and politicians who took notice of the ghastly accident that “burnt people to death”, noting that the incident was the latest tragedy to hit the province where such events have become rampant.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Quddus Bizenjo extended sympathies to the broken families of the victims and directed the district administration to provide the injured passengers with health facilities.

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He also instructed Kalat’s commissioner to investigate the cause of the accident and submit a report within 24 hours.

Sounding alarms that the traffic accidents and the loss of precious lives on the Quetta-Karachi highway were witnessing an increase, the chief minister said that the concerned authorities, including the transport department, the regional transport authority and highway police, should take preventive measures.

He stressed that strict action should be taken against drivers for overspeeding passenger coaches and violating traffic rules on national highways.

“Accidents can be controlled by ensuring effective enforcement of traffic rules on national highways, punishing and penalising speeding drivers and transport companies,” he added.

He said that passengers cannot be left at the mercy of transporters and irresponsible drivers.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove also conveyed sorrow while directing the administration to probe into the accident and submit a report in this regard.

President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended their condolences.

In a statement, PM Shehbaz expressed deep sorrow and grief over the lives lost. He offered condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the victims.

The premier directed the authorities concerned to provide the injured with the best medical facilities.

Similarly, President Alvi stressed taking practical steps to avert the occurrence of such incidents in the future.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also expressed grief over the tragedy and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

“We are standing with the bereaved families in the time of grief and sorrow,” he said, and prayed for the departed souls and wished courage to bereaved families to bear the irreparable loss with equanimity.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condoled and extended sympathies to the bereaved families.

He said that the entire country was saddened by the tragic accident and called for an investigation to ascertain the facts to avoid any such accident in the future.

Similarly, in a condolence message, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani also conveyed their sympathies and prayed for the swift recovery of those who sustained injuries.

Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition. At least 22 people were killed in June, including nine members of one family when a passenger van fell into a deep ravine in Balochistan.

(With Input from Agencies)