39 dead as bus plunges into ravine in SW Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan

At least 39 people were killed after a passenger minibus fell into a ravine in southwest Pakistan on Sunday morning, officials and local media reported.

The accident occurred in Lasbela town of southwestern Balochistan province, located some 116 kilometers (72 miles) from the country's commercial capital Karachi.

Assistant Commissioner Lasbela Hamza Anjum told reporters that the ill-fated vehicle with 48 passengers on board was on its way from the provincial capital Quetta to Karachi.

The speeding vehicle, he said, first crashed into the pillar of a bridge while negotiating a U-turn, subsequently fell into a ravine, and then caught fire.

At least three people, including a child and a woman, have been rescued alive, Anjum said, fearing a further increase in casualties.

Over 20 bodies have been recovered and shifted to a local hospital, multiple media outlets reported quoting rescue workers.

The official added that a rescue operation is underway to pull the remaining bodies and injured.

Pakistan has had a long history of fatal road accidents, mainly because of poor safety standards.