Tragedy in Salt Range: 15 killed in Kallar Kahar road accident
The bus is believed to have been carrying some 45 passengers when fell into a 50-foot deep ravine.
The bus is believed to have been carrying some 45 passengers when fell into a 50-foot deep ravine. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
At least 15 people were killed and over two dozen injured when a bus plunged into a ravine near Kallar Kahar on Saturday, police and rescue officials said. The accident occurred in Martankhurd village of Kallar Kahar tehsil, in Chakwal district, at around 8:30pm.
The bus is believed to have been carrying some 45 passengers when it went off the road and fell into a 50-foot deep ravine, authorities said. According to rescuers, at least seven men, three women and five children were confirmed dead.
The injured were shifted to three different medical facilities, including Lillah Hospital, Fauji Foundation Hospital in Kallar Kahar and to a basic health unit in Buchal Kallan, a town near the accident site.
“We suspect it was a case of brakes failure but we are waiting to hear back from our superior officers who have not returned yet from the accident site,” said a local police officer.
Kallar Kahar’s salt range on the Lahore-Islamabad stretch of Motorway has been the site of several fatal accidents in the past due to the hilly terrain and sharp bends in the road. But the officer said Saturday’s accident occurred on a local road near the village which nevertheless is part of the salt range hills.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2014.
At least 15 people were killed and over two dozen injured when a bus plunged into a ravine near Kallar Kahar on Saturday, police and rescue officials said. The accident occurred in Martankhurd village of Kallar Kahar tehsil, in Chakwal district, at around 8:30pm.
The bus is believed to have been carrying some 45 passengers when it went off the road and fell into a 50-foot deep ravine, authorities said. According to rescuers, at least seven men, three women and five children were confirmed dead.
The injured were shifted to three different medical facilities, including Lillah Hospital, Fauji Foundation Hospital in Kallar Kahar and to a basic health unit in Buchal Kallan, a town near the accident site.
“We suspect it was a case of brakes failure but we are waiting to hear back from our superior officers who have not returned yet from the accident site,” said a local police officer.
Kallar Kahar’s salt range on the Lahore-Islamabad stretch of Motorway has been the site of several fatal accidents in the past due to the hilly terrain and sharp bends in the road. But the officer said Saturday’s accident occurred on a local road near the village which nevertheless is part of the salt range hills.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2014.