At least 40 killed as passenger coach plunges into ravine on Sherani-Zhob highway

QUETTA:

At least 40 people were killed and eight others injured when a New Mekhtar passenger coach travelling from Quetta to Peshawar plunged into a deep ravine in the Danasar area on the Sherani–Zhob highway, near the border between Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), on Friday.

According to the Medical Emergency Response Centre (MERC), 40 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, while eight injured passengers have been shifted to the Trauma Centre in Zhob. Six ambulances, 12 emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and 10 light transport vehicle (LTV) drivers were deployed as part of the rescue operation.

In a statement, Rescue 1122 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi said the bus was carrying 48 passengers when it crashed near Zhob. Faizi said eight injured passengers were given first aid at the scene before being shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Zhob.

Following reports of the crash, the district administration in Sherani, rescue teams, and ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. Rescue personnel from K-P also joined the operation.

The spokesperson said the bodies of 40 people killed in the crash were initially taken to a nearby Rural Health Centre (RHC) before being transferred to DHQ Hospital Zhob by joint teams from Rescue 1122 Frontier Region Darazinda and Emergency Services Zhob.

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Faizi said Rescue 1122 personnel are working in coordination with Emergency Services Balochistan and other relevant agencies to provide timely assistance to the injured and support the families of those killed.

He added that, on the instructions of Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director General Shah Fahad, if any of the victims are identified as residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rescue 1122 will transport their bodies to their native areas in its ambulances with full respect.

An emergency has been declared at hospitals in Sherani and Dera Ismail Khan to ensure prompt medical treatment for the injured.

The rescue operation is being conducted jointly by Rescue 1122, the Frontier Corps (FC), police, the district administration, and other relevant agencies. The difficult mountainous terrain has complicated rescue efforts, but operations remain underway.

Authorities said an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident.