Peshawar: At least 10 people were killed and 15 injured when an overspeeding bus they were travelling fell into a ravine in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa late last night, police said on Wednesday. The bus was on its way to a hilly village from Khanpur, in the Haripur district, when it met with the accident in Tarnava.

The driver lost control while negotiating a sharp turn due to overspeeding and fell into a deep gorge, police said, adding that the deceased included men, women and children. The villagers and police took the bodies and the injured to the roadside on their backs, Dawn reported. 

The rescue workers then transported the injured to Khanpur Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Three of the seriously injured were referred to Haripur Trauma Centre. Meanwhile, tehsil nazim Raja Haroon Sikandar, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Raja Shahab Sikandar and Yousuf Ayub Khan reached the hospital and enquired after the injured.

PTI central leader Omar Ayub Khan, the party’s candidate for the Prime Ministerial post, also expressed grief over the death of five passengers and condoled with the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, one student was killed and two others were injured after being hit by a speeding car in Khanewal district in Pakistan’s Punjab province. A statement by Rescue 1122 said that the incident took place in front of the Government Girls Model High School, adding that the car hit the students as they were on their way to school, according to Dawn.

It should be mentioned here that road accidents are common in Pakistan and claim numerous lives on a daily basis. Poor roads, lack of safety awareness and blatant disregard for traffic rules often cause fatal accidents in Pakistan.

(with inputs from PTI)