At least 16 people were killed and one woman was injured Tuesday when a bus carrying wedding guests fell into the Indus river in Pakistan's mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region, police said.
The incident took place at the Diamer district. The bus was travelling from Astore to Punjab’s Chakwal district when it fell from the Telchi bridge into the river, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police Sher Khan confirmed that 16 bodies have been recovered, with search efforts ongoing for the remaining victims.
“Sixteen dead bodies have been recovered from the river, while the search for the remaining persons continues,” Khan was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
He added that a woman, who was the bride, sustained injuries and was receiving treatment at a hospital.
However, rescue officials said that 22 people drowned, while one person was saved.
Sharing details of the accident earlier, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shaukat Riaz said the bus coming from Astore fell into the Indus River from Telchi bridge in the limits of Diamer district in the afternoon.
“The vehicle was part of a wedding procession heading towards Punjab’s Chakwal district,” he said.
He said the passengers who were on board the bus have been identified.
“Nineteen of them belonged to Astore, while four were from the Chakwal district of Punjab,” Riaz said.
President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his grief and conveyed his condolences to the victims’ relatives.
Road accidents are frequent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, exacerbated by harsh weather, rugged terrain, poorly maintained roads, overloaded vehicles, and minimal traffic regulations, the Dawn report said.
The narrow, winding routes and driver fatigue further elevate risk, making these regions especially accident-prone.
In October, two people were killed and 36 others were injured when a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus fell into a ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kohistan area.
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