11 dead, 35 injured as bus overturns on Makran coastal highway

At least 11 people were killed and 35 injured on Sunday when a bus overturned on the Makran coastal highway and fell into a ditch, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lasbela Capt. Naveed Alam said the bus was carrying pilgrims from Iran to Punjab when it overturned near Buzzi Top as the driver lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.

Four passengers were still trapped inside the coach, and a crane has been called for to evacuate them, SSP Alam said.

The dead and injured were said to be from Lahore and Gujranwala, according to Hakeem Lassi, Edhi in-charge Lasbela.

He added that the army, Rescue 1122, and Edhi were conducting the rescue operation, and the injured had been shifted to civil hospital.

The bus was carrying around 60 passengers, Ali Hassan, one of the injured passengers who belongs to Gujranwala, told Dawn.com.

Five of the injured were brought to Jam Ghulam Qadir hospital in Hub where first aid was administered to them before being sent to Karachi, according to District Commissioner (DC) Hub Rohana Gul Kakar.

She added that one body had been brought to the Rural Health Centre in Winder.

An emergency has been imposed in hospitals in Hub to treat the injured, according to Mir Ali Hassan Zehri, adviser on commerce and industries to Balochistan’s CM.

The Sindh government has also been contacted for the best possible treatment for the injured, as have authorities of the health department, he added.

Travel ban imposed from Iran’s Gabad to Gwadar

Gwadar DC Hamoodur Rehman a complete travel ban had been imposed on the movement of pilgrims from Iran’s Gabad to Gwadar for their safety, according to a statement issued by the district’s administration.

“Iran has also banned the entry of pilgrims, and, therefore, they should avoid any travel at this time,” the statement said.

This measure is aimed at improving travelling facilities for pilgrims, the statement read.

It urged pilgrims to avoid any unnecessary travel at this point.

Earlier this week, 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed and 23 others injured when their bus crashed in Iran’s Yazd city, Pakistan’s envoy to Tehran had confirmed.

According to Iran’s Mehr Agency, the bus overturned at the Dehshir-Taftan checkpoint in Yazd on Tuesday night and then caught fire.

Condolences pour in

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the accident, according to a statement shared by his party, PPP, on social media platform X.

He directed that timely medical aid be provided to the injured.

Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his deep sorrow over lives lost in the accident, according to a statement shared by his party, PML-N, on X.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also instructed relevant authorities to shift the injured to Karachi and provide all possible medical facilities to them.

He expressed his solidarity with the families of the deceased in their hour of grief, according to a post shared on X.