(PLO)- Just on January 29, Pakistan had two tragic traffic accidents that killed more than 50 people, of which 10 were children.
Associated AFP At least 51 people were killed in two separate traffic accidents in western Pakistan on January 29, when a bus overturned a bridge and a boat carrying a classroom overturned, said the official.
Pakistani officials said that 41 people have been confirmed dead so far following the bus carrying them crashed off a bridge in the city of Bela (in Balochistan province), while at least 10 students were killed in the crash. boating in Lake Tanda (in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province).
The victims of the bus crash might not be identified
Theo AFP, The bus carrying a total of 48 passengers crashed into a pillar on the bridge and veered off course, falling off the bridge on the night of January 29.
Video released by the Balochistan provincial government shows the brown shell of the bus’s frame charred, smoking at the foot of the bridge.
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People gather on a bridge to view the wreckage of a burned passenger bus in Balochistan province, Pakistan, on January 29. Photo: AFP |
The head of the local rescue agency Asghar Ramazan said the bus was full of oil.
“When the bus fell off the bridge into the ravine, it immediately caught fire. The fact that the vehicle was full of oil made the fire so intense that it was difficult to control,” said Mr. Ramazan.
Pakistani official Hamza Anjum said the bodies were still “unidentifiable”.
“Maybe the driver fell asleep,” Anjum said, adding that the driver was speeding during a long-distance trip.
“We will investigate the cause of the accident,” Anjum stressed, adding that they needed to conduct a DNA test to determine the identity of the victims’ bodies, which were “heavily mutilated.” .
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Rescue workers search for victims of drowning in Lake Tanda following a school boat capsized in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on January 29. Photo: AFP |
The victims of the boat capsize are students from 7 to 14 years old
Talking regarding the capsized boat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Anjum said 40 victims were recovered from the wreck. Of them, 10 people were killed, 3 were seriously injured, one of them died shortly following, the other 2 were in a “serious” condition.
According to Mr. Anjum, there are still three victims missing in the water and rescue operations are underway.
Local police said all the victims were between the ages of 7 and 14. The boat crashed while the whole class was participating in a boating picnic in Lake Tanda on the followingnoon of January 29.
“According to the information we have gathered so far, the boat was in a state of disrepair and it was the sheer number of people that caused the boat to capsize,” a police officer said.
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Rescue workers search for victims of drowning in Lake Tanda following a school boat capsized in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on January 29. Photo: AFP |
“Everything was fine until the boat suddenly capsized,” said 11-year-old student Muhammad Mustafa, one of the survivors and currently being treated at a hospital in the nearby city of Kohat.
“I was trapped under the boat. My shawl and sweater were soaked with water making my body heavy so I took them off. The water was very cold and my body was numb. I thought I was going to faint when one The man swam back to save him,” the boy said.
One of those rescued was a teacher. Currently, this person is still unconscious while the operation to rescue the remaining 3 missing students is still going on.
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A bus left with only rubble following falling off a bridge in Balochistan province, Pakistan, January 29. Photo: AFP |
Warning regarding unsafe traffic problems in Pakistan
Sloppy highways, lax safety measures and reckless drivers have all contributed to Pakistan’s poor traffic safety situation.
Passenger buses are often crammed to their full capacity. The number of deaths due to traffic accidents is always high.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 27,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in Pakistan in 2018.
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A bus left with only rubble following falling off a bridge in Balochistan province, Pakistan, January 29. Photo: AFP |
In November 2022, 20 people, including 11 children, were killed when a minibus plunged into a deep and flooded ditch in southern Pakistan.
Mass drowning is also one of the common accidents in Pakistan, when ships are too old and overloaded, making them unstable and prone to capsizing.
In July 2022, at least 18 women drowned following an overloaded boat with regarding 100 members of the same family capsized during a wedding procession between two villages.
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