At least 12 Pakistani pilgrims killed in road accident, 22 others killed when bus crashes into valley in Kashmir
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: Pakistani officials said that a bus of pilgrims on their way back from Iraq first entered Iran and after leaving the country, crashed in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
According to Qazi Sabir, a senior local police chief, the bus carrying the pilgrims had a problem and the bus and its passengers fell off a highway into the valley.
At least 12 pilgrims were killed and 32 others injured in the deadly accident, Pakistani officials said.
Meanwhile, 22 people were killed when a bus crashed into a deep valley near Kashmir, officials said.
Rawalpindi Mohammad Osman, Pakistan's rescue coordinator, told Reuters that the bus was carrying 25 passengers, including six women and a child. Twenty-two of the passengers were killed and one seriously injured.
All the bodies from the fall have been recovered from the valley, he said. However, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said 22 people were killed in the accident.
"The accident was caused by a faulty bus brake," a local official told Dawn.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued a statement expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also issued separate statements expressing regret.
Road accidents often occur in Pakistan due to inadequate infrastructure, unsuitable vehicles and dangerous driving.
Every year, an average of 9,000 road accidents are reported in Pakistan, resulting in more than 5,000 deaths.
Last week, a Pakistani pilgrim bus carrying 53 people overturned in Iran's Yazd province, killing 28 people.
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