A bus carrying wedding guests crashed into a river this week in Pakistan, leaving at least 18 individuals dead.
The Bus Crash
The accident took place in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region as the bus traveled toward Chakwal, a city located in Pakistan's Punjab province, government spokesperson Faizullah Farqan reported. Known for its rugged terrain and challenging road conditions, the area often presents hazards for long-distance travel.
The bus reportedly fell into the Indus River, which is located in the northern region of Pakistan.
Faizullah Farqan reported that the search for bodies was ongoing, with only one survivor—a woman—discovered so far. She is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
Police stated that the cause of the crash remains unknown, and investigators have not yet obtained a statement from the sole survivor.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari extended his condolences and urged rescue teams to accelerate their efforts in locating the missing passengers.
"The President's expression of deep grief over the loss of precious lives in the accident," the Secretariat of Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, wrote in a translated post on X, formerly Twitter. "The President's emphasis on the need to speed up the relief operations. The President expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. In this hour of sorrow, my sympathies are with the heirs of the deceased."
Dawn, a Pakistani English-language newspaper, reported that Sher Khan, the senior superintendent of police in Diamer, said that 16 bodies were recovered from the water after the bus crashed into the river.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shaukat Riaz told Dawn that tThe vehicle was part of a wedding procession heading towards Punjab's Chakwal district."
"Nineteen of them belonged to Astore while four were from the Chakwal district of Punjab," Riaz told the newspaper.
Pakistani Accidents
Road accidents are frequent in Pakistan, where outdated infrastructure and widespread disregard for traffic laws and safety standards contribute to high casualty rates. In August alone, two separate bus crashes resulted in 36 fatalities and left dozens more injured.
In August, PBS News reported that at least 36 individuals were killed following two different bus crashes in Pakistan.
According to PBS News, the first crash occurred in southwest Pakistan, when a bus traveling from Iraq through Iran crashed into a ditch, leaving at least 12 people dead and dozens of others injured.
Shortly after the first crash, 24 others were pronounced deceased when a bus crashed into a ravine in Pakistan's Kahuta district.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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