At least 40 people were killed and dozens more injured in two separate road accidents in southwest and northwest Pakistan on Sunday, according to police and local media reports. In the first incident, around 29 passengers lost their lives when a vehicle plunged into a ravine near Rawlakot in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Islamabad. Local broadcaster Geo News, citing rescue officials, reported the fatalities. Commissioner Rawlakot Abdul Hameed Khan confirmed that 21 people were killed in the accident. Local television channels broadcast footage of the wrecked bus lying on rocks downhill as locals gathered at the scene. In a separate accident, 11 Shia pilgrims were killed and over 30 injured when a bus fell into a ravine in the Lasbella district of Balochistan province, which borders Iran. The victims, hailing from the northeastern Punjab province, were en route to Iran. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident was caused by brake failure. This tragedy follows closely on the heels of another incident in which 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in the Iranian city of Yazd on Wednesday. Road accidents are common in Pakistan, largely due to inadequate safety standards. — Agencies
