At least 42 people were killed on Sunday after a speeding passenger bus crashed into a pillar of a bridge and fell into a ravine in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, according to officials.

The bus was carrying 48 people from provincial capital Quetta to Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, when it crashed into the pillar and subsequently careened into a ravine before catching fire in the Lasbela area, assistant commissioner of Lasbela Hamza Anjum said.

“The speeding bus crashed into the pillar of a bridge while taking a U-turn near Lasbela and fell into a ravine and then caught fire,” he told the media.

Anjum said 42 bodies have been recovered from the accident site till now.

Only three people, including a child and a woman, could be rescued alive, the official said, adding that the death toll could rise as the injured were in critical condition.

“There were a total of 48 people on the passenger coaster,” he said.

He said the bodies were charred beyond recognition and DNA testing will be done for the identification of the deceased.

Such horrific road accidents happen frequently in Pakistan, especially in areas where roads and highways need repairs and no proper safety measures are followed while awarding licences and permits to commercial vehicles.

Passenger buses are frequently crammed to capacity and seatbelts are not commonly worn.

17 dead as boat capsizes

At least 17 students of a religious seminary died on Sunday when their boat capsized in a lake in northwest Pakistan, according to officials. The students, aged between seven and 14 years, of Madrassa Mirbash Khel were on an excursion trip when their boat capsized in the Tanda Dam lake in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.

The rescue workers have recovered 17 bodies, they said. Deputy commissioner of Kohat Furqan Ashraf said the boat was carrying 30 people and most of them were children. The Pakistan Army’s rescue teams have also reached the site of the incident.