At least 17 pilgrims lost their lives, and 38 others sustained injuries following a tragic accident while en route to a shrine in southwestern Pakistan, authorities revealed.
The incident occurred around 10 pm (17:00 GMT) on Wednesday in the Hub district of Balochistan province, as stated by the police on Thursday.
Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed informed AFP news agency that “The truck was overspeeding and it went out of the driver’s control while negotiating a turn,” causing it to plummet into a ravine in a mountainous area as they approached the shrine.
Reportedly, the pilgrims were travelling towards the Shah Noorani Sufi shrine in the city of Khuzdar when the accident happened during Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan.
The driver, also injured, has been taken into custody, according to police officer Sakro Wajid Ali.
Shaukat Jalbani, the deputy medical superintendent of Hub’s main hospital, confirmed the death toll of 17 and mentioned that most of the injured have been transferred to Karachi for medical treatment.
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Tragic road accidents with significant casualties are unfortunately frequent in Pakistan, where safety standards are often lacking, driver training is insufficient, and transportation infrastructure is frequently in disrepair.
In January 2023, 41 individuals lost their lives when a passenger bus, loaded with containers of flammable oil, plunged into a ravine in Balochistan province, resulting in a fiery disaster.
And in August of the same year, at least 30 people were killed, with dozens more injured, after a train derailed in southern Sindh province.
Adding to the grim toll, in 2022, 22 passengers, including women and children, met a tragic end when a speeding van veered off a narrow mountain road and plunged into a ravine north of Quetta in Balochistan.
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